The Yellowknife Women’s Society Emergency Shelter for Women serves adult women who:

• Experience family and household violence
• Have experienced eviction and/or experience barriers in trying to access housing
• Don’t have the resources to maintain a household
• Are stranded in the community
• Experience severe mental illness, cognitive and/or physical disability
• Experience substance use or addiction issues

Lack of affordable housing options, inadequate access to mental health and addictions services, inadequate access to sufficient reliable income, and barriers to employment all contribute to the complexities faced by women who access the emergency shelter.

The new Single Room Occupancy units provide privacy and security for women, while at the same time allowing them to adjust to living more independently and building a positive rental record.  Women can either use their tenancy in these units as a stepping stone to private market or other independent housing options; at the same time, women who desire the security and support provided through communal living in our shelter are welcome to stay for as long as they may need. 

Women currently staying in the emergency shelter are granted priority in accessing these rooms; however, women in precarious housing or who are homeless and staying elsewhere in the community are welcome to come to the Yellowknife Women’s Centre and explore tenancy options with staff.