Another positive step has been taken on the road to a new women’s shelter in Hay River.
When a tender call for construction of the shelter closed on June 3, two bids were received by the Family Support Centre.
“It’s great,” said Janet-Marie Fizer, the chair of the board of the Family Resource Centre. “At least we’ve had two people express an interest. It’s always good to have a price check.”
As of late last week, Fizer said a successful bidder had been selected, but a final review was underway before the company would be notified.
Once that happens, work will begin on a contract.
Another step will be a review by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), which will be the main funder of the new women’s shelter.
Fizer is optimistic that CMHC will be pleased with the chosen company.
“I think that there will be no problem going forward,” she said.
Other financial support is expected from the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation and from the Family Support Centre’s own fundraising efforts.
The closing date for tenders to build a new women’s shelter was extended by a week from its original closing date of May 27.
The new shelter will be built on Riverview Drive at a site where a former women’s shelter stood until being demolished in 2018.
“It’s still just an empty site,” said Fizer. “We’re anxious to get this contract awarded so that we can get materials on site because the town is redoing Riverview Drive this summer. So access to that site is going to be interrupted a little bit. That’s one of the reasons we’re in a big push to get this awarded.”
With a builder being close to being selected, Fizer expects construction to begin in early July.
Currently, the Family Support Centre is operating a women’s shelter in a three-bedroom house owned by the Town of Hay River.
A new facility would contain nine bedrooms with a maximum occupancy of 18.
The Family Support Centre – then known as the Women’s Resource Centre – first began operating a women’s shelter at the Riverview Drive site in 1992.