Shack fire leaves Iqaluit families living in tents, seeking donations

Two families in Iqaluit are now living in tentsafter a fire tore through their shack this past weekend.

The Iqaluit fire department was called to the fire along the city's beach Saturday evening.

One family, made up of a couple andtheir preteenson, received a tent and sleeping bags from the Red Cross as well as donations from local businesses.

The mayor of Iqaluit, MadeleineRedfern, was one of several residents who began collecting donations for the family after the fire.

"I've given them information about where they can go for support,"Redfernsaid. "Iqaluit Housing Authority does provide housing, and familiesthat are homeless, especially those with children,get to the top of the list."

Five people were sharing the shack on the beach.No one was inside at the time of the fire.

One person living there, who CBC has agreed not to name, said he moved into the shack last October. He spent the previous year living in a tent.

The shack is located on Inuit-owned lands.

There areplans to build more social housing, Redfernsaid. The federal government promised $240 million for Nunavut as part of a 10-yearnational housing strategy.

Iqaluit's UquutaqSociety, which operates the city'smen's shelter, is securing funding, including $100,000 from the Qikiqtani Inuit Association.

That money will go toward a transitional housing project which hopes to move approximately 50 men out of the shelter's current four-bedroom homeinto a larger shelterand eventually into Uquutaq-run units, as stepping stones toindependent living.

The city's wellness committee has also dedicated $150,000 towardshelter renovations.

• $240M for Nunavut housing 'nowhere near' what territory needs, says housing corp.

Redfernsays the city of Iqaluit provides land for housing projects, but shecalled on Inuit organizations to pledge more money to build homes and offer solutions for homelessness.

"The fact is that we all have to work together,"Redfernsaid. "It is not one individual or one level of government that has the sole responsibility."

The city of Iqaluit calledthe fire on Saturday suspicious, butRCMPcould not confirm whether an investigation is ongoing.