Note: Amended; 4:22pm on 4-10-21 (address was incorrect, the combined centre is located on 50 street, not 51 street as originally noted)

(Yellowknife, October 4, 2021) - Starting this morning, the Combined Day and Sobering Centre, operated by the NWT Disabilities Council, located at 5111, 50st street in Yellowknife has reopened. Hours will be from 7am to 7pm for the day shelter portion of the facility and from 3pm to 7am for the overnight sobering centre.

This service has been closed since September 11^th when a number of COVID-19 cases and exposures reduced staffing capacity to a point that services could not be provided.

The Combined Day and Sobering Centre provide an essential service to homeless and under housed individuals in Yellowknife. It provides a safe inside venue where individuals can access basic services such as showers, food, and laundry and also allows for relationship building and linkages to other health and social services programming. The overnight sobering centre provides medical assessment and a safe supervised place for individuals to sleep off the effects of alcohol and drugs.

COVID-19 precautions, including enhanced screening and testing will be in place and capacity limits will remain at the facility to enable physical distancing. Ongoing isolation centre supports will be maintained for homeless and under housed individuals to safely isolate if they become COVID-19 positive to reduce potential for further spread in the community.

Yellowknife’s homeless population exceeds the capacity of our sheltering services and the opening of this service does not negate the need for more day sheltering space as winter quickly approaches.