Members of the Yukon Anti-Poverty Coalition are pleased to be releasing A Home for Everyone: A Housing Action Plan for Whitehorse.
The plan, developed through workshops, research and input from community members, focuses information and ideas that will provide more and better housing options for all Whitehorse residents. “This is our invitation to the community to play an active role in solving the housing crisis in Whitehorse, “ says Bill Thomas, chair of the YAPC Housing Task Force. “It is time for us to take what we know and use it to provide more housing options to all residents as soon as possible.”
A Home for Everyone is based on the belief that housing is a human right, that as a community we have the ability to solve the crisis and that we have enough information to move forward. By learning from other cities’ experiences, using a Housing First model and working together, we will see results quickly and Whitehorse will be a healthier community. “I’m thrilled to have been a part of developing this strategy”, says Patricia Bacon, Executive Director of Blood Ties Four Directions. “It’s a much needed step to providing options across the housing spectrum and direction on priority areas.” Marilyn Wolovick, Executive Director of Many Rivers Counselling and Support Services agrees: “A plan is long overdue.Our hope is that now we can, as a community, take a coordinated approach to meeting the needs of families, workers and individuals who may be struggling with inadequate, inaccessible or unaffordable housing.”
Highlights of the action plan include recommended actions to fill identified gaps including the provision of emergency shelter, transitional housing, housing with long-term support, rental accommodation and affordable home ownership. “We believe that whether we be a business person, a citizen, a council member, a department head or the Premier – we will find a role we can play in this plan,” says Charlotte Hrenchuk, Yukon Status of Women Council. “We invite the whole community to make be Whitehorse a city where there’s a home for everyone.”
Copies of A Home for Everyone: A Housing Action Plan for Whitehorse, including appendices, are available at Yukon Learn and City Hall or below: