The entrance to the downtown Whitehorse shelter at 405 Alexander. Photo Courtesy of Department of Health and Social Services.
Whitehorse, YT – A new advisory committee has been established to monitor operations at the downtown Whitehorse shelter following several deaths at the facility in recent years.
The 405 Alexander Advisory Committee will meet monthly to guide operations, cultural safety efforts and client services at the facility.
The move comes after a coroner’s inquest investigated the deaths of four Indigenous women at the shelter between January 2022 and April 2023. That resulted in recommendations for the Yukon Government to improve services at the facility, including better training for overdose response and harm reduction, hiring Indigenous staff and creating culturally safe spaces.
The committee was announced last Wednesday at the territory’s fourth leadership summit since April.
The nine-member committee will include six First Nations members and three government representatives. It will be cochaired by Ta’an Kwäch’än Council Deputy Chief Michelle Telep and Yukon Government’s acting Assistant Deputy Minister of Social Services Stephen Doyle.
Also announced at the summit was a renewed $6.89-million operations agreement with shelter operator Connective Support Society.
According to a Yukon Government statement, the funding will provide 24/7 staffing, a three-person outreach team and structured programs with individualized case plans for upper-floor clients.
