Posted: Mar 17, 2021 2:00 AM CT | Last Updated: March 17
COVID-19 has helped create a supportive community hub that advocates in Yellowknife have called for for years. Clockwise from top left: John James Smallgeese, Alfred Betsidea, Diana Lubansa, Patricia Ross, Joanne Lennie and Andrew Sewi.(Mario De Ciccio and Kate Kyle/CBC)
In March 2020, before the pandemic hit, a rust-coloured former motel near Yellowknife s downtown sat fully furnished and empty, while elsewhere in the city, people experiencing homelessness were couch-surfing, staying in a shelter or even sleeping in a stairwell.
When the first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in the Northwest Territories, the borders closed within hours. Within weeks, the empty two-storey motel was transformed.