Escalating food costs and increased expenses for disposable to-go items have led to significant overspending.
The Whitehorse Emergency Shelter says there is no food cut in the shelter but a return to its original funding agreement.
The surging demand for food amongst vulnerable people in the downtown core led the Connective Support Society into developing an enhanced food programming at the Whitehorse Emergency Shelter. This program, according to Connective, was essential in addressing immediate needs and highlighting the broader gap in dinner services within the community.
In May 2023, the enhanced food program began and it saw increase in meal distributions at the Whitehorse Emergency Shelter from the budgeted 75 meals per day at breakfast, lunch and dinner totaling 225 meals daily to over 100 meals per day at breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Last month, the shelter stopped the enhanced meal program even though the need for more free food is still on the rise. When asked why the program stopped, the connective said they are going back to the original budgeted 225 meals per day.
An internal email sent to staff of the emergency shelter by the Regional Director of Connective Support Society, Gigi Mckee, indicated funding was the major reason for the limit in food distribution.
The email reads, “Over the last fiscal year, we saw a significant increase in the number of service users accessing breakfast, lunch, and dine-in dinner meals. This has greatly stretched out capacity based on our funding. Additionally, escalating food costs and increased expenses for disposable to-go items have led to significant overspending. As a result, we have no choice but to limit the distribution of meals to what our current funding allows.”
In a CHON- FM interview, Gigi McKee, said it is a regular routine for the connective to monitor closely the demand and needs of the community.
“We are returning to our funded amount which will be the 225 meals per day and we regularly work with our funders; the Yukon government, when we see an increase or a decrease in any of our services offered within any of our programs. So, we are always monitoring the demand and needs of the community and with the demand and needs of the community and conversations with the government we responded to a need of the community.”
However, Stephen Doyle, Yukon’s Health & Social Services Director of Social Supports said otherwise.
“So, the pilot project that connective was running was not run through the Yukon’s government. That was done on their own accord.“
Mckee said that while Connective recognizes the impact the food limit would have on those depending on it, the enhanced meal program was a pilot program which had additional funding for the fiscal year and was not intended to be a long-term solution.
“Responding to the need of the community, we were able to respond and provide enhanced meal programming for the community as well as enhancing a little bit further with some funding from reach and home which is distributed through Yukon Anti-Poverty Coalition as well as receiving additional funding, to enhance external meal provision through CYFN and Safe at Home through a period of that fiscal as well.”
When Connective took over the running of the shelter form the Salvation Army in October 2022, the budgeted amount for food was approximately $300,000 annually to provide approximately 225 meals to shelter guests daily__75 meals per day at breakfast, lunch and dinner on a first come first serve basis.
It is worthy to note that free food distributions provided by non-government organizations are still available around Whitehorse.
On Wednesday July 17, the Government of Yukon made a joint release with the Blood Ties Four Directions Centre that they are expanding their Healthy Meals program, which provides essential support to Whitehorse community members facing food insecurity.
The release said the enhanced program will upgrade the kitchen facilities at the Blood Ties Four Directions Centre, enabling the provision of both lunch and dinner services seven days a week.
As per the release, the expansion will be implemented in phases. Starting in June 2024, expanded lunch services will be available Monday to Friday at 1 pm. By late summer 2024, once the kitchen upgrades are complete, lunches will be prepared in-house.
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