Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, back when the Minister of Finance made his budget speech, I had made a statement and asked questions in regard to the homeless in Yellowknife and other parts of the Northwest Territories and in answer to my questions, the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, indicated that he would be willing to work with a group or groups in order to help rectify the situation. As well the Minister of Housing had indicated that he would work with the other Ministers in the social envelope to try to address this situation. Mr. Speaker, I am happy to report today that there is such a group in Yellowknife working on this problem. They are called the Front Door Society. The Front Door Society, was formed about a year ago and their long-term mandate is to seriously look at the homeless on a larger scale. There are many unanswered questions that society needs to look at such as the impacts that division and decentralization will have. They are also doing a survey to determine the actual number of homeless people in Yellowknife and what services are already available to them. As well, to look at the availability of lands within the city, which ones would be best suited for a facility and what the costs will be. Obviously, it would be nice to if they could get a donation of land from the city or one of our senior governments.
The Front Door Society's goal is to provide a rooming house for hard to house people within the City of Yellowknife. Their challenge is to provide supportive housing that recognizes residents as individuals who value their independence and that facilitates and supports choice in people's lives while developing and supporting a community of residents. The society is in the process of getting a charitable organization status so they can provide tax exempt receipts when they receive donations. Mr. Speaker, the society has already had meetings with all interested parties, meaning those who provide services to people in need, particularly the Departments of Education, Culture and Employment and Health and Social Services as well as the City of Yellowknife and of course we have to bring in the citizens of Yellowknife. Mr. Speaker, doing it this way makes it truly a solution that comes from the community. The society's next step, Mr. Speaker, is to make a presentation to the Yellowknife City Council of February 23, 1998 at which time they will be discussing their proposal. Thank you.
--Applause