The shelter's board is willing to raise the other 20 per cent. We want to raise 20 per cent ourselves. We feel the 20 per cent is an ambitious amount. Once a funding arrangement is finalized, Wilcke said he hopes it's one government department that provides the funding. Picco working on solution Iqaluit Centre MLA Hunter Tootoo asked Health Minister Ed Picco in the legislature this to make a long-term commitment to ensure the shelter stay open.
Negotiations are underway right now with the shelter society.
The homeless shelter is run by the Illitiit Society. It opened a new facility last December after the NWT Housing Corporation donated a new building. It was about to close in April until the Baffin Health Board, through Iqaluit's social services department, stepped in with three months of up front funding . But that money only lasted a few weeks, Riddell said. And the health board isn't expected to make another payment until July.