6 months after building closed, some big changes at Yellowknife's SideDoor

Six months after the doors shut suddenly on SideDoor's brightly coloured building downtown, there have been some big changes at the non-profit that supports young people in Yellowknife.

The executive director, Iris Notley, who earlier this year was caught up in allegations of mismanagement and mistreatment at the organization, is gone after more than six years at the helm.

The drop-in centre, called the Resource Centre — a place where young people could go for meals, access to counselling and help finding housing and employment — relocated in July. It moved into a smaller space at Hope's Haven, an emergency shelter and transitional home for young people that's also run by SideDoor.

The organization says on its Facebook page that this setup is temporary.

Meanwhile, what will become of the building on 50th Street, which is owned by the city, is uncertain. 

The media has not been kind to me and has contributed to spreading misinformation and defamation of character.- Iris Notley, former  executive director

SideDoor's lease expired on April 30. Kirk Tastad, co-chair of SideDoor's board, said in an email on Wednesday that his organization had expressed interest in the space and is now waiting for the city to make a decision. 

City spokesperson Alison Harrower said others have inquired about the property, and the city will choose a tenant based on who best contributes to its 10-year plan to end homelessness and "other social objectives."

Yellowknife city council, however, rejected a proposal last month to turn the first floor of the building into a day shelter. 

SideDoor is a Christian non-profit that aims to support young people, especially those in vulnerable situations, through its drop-in centre and youth shelter. It also helps young people with off-site housing.

The SideDoor building on 50th Street, which housed the Resource Centre, closed unexpectedly in the first week of March. Days later, the allegations emerged, and young people and current and former staff called for an audit of the non-profit's finances.

Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit, shutting down much of the city. The building on 50th Street has been shuttered ever since.

'The media has not been kind to me'

Notley declined to be interviewed, but said in a text message Tuesday that SideDoor didn't want to close the Resource Centre — it did so to comply with public health rules.

She also said she had resigned as executive director, but did not say when or why.

"The media has not been kind to me and has contributed to spreading misinformation and defamation of character," she said. 

"After 21 years of living and contributing to [Yellowknife], including 15 years with SideDoor, I made the difficult decision to move on."

Tastad said Notley is leaving Yellowknife to "pursue other interests."

"The board thanks her for her six-plus years of service, passion, and vision that has helped SideDoor/Hope's Haven grow and expand to meet the ever changing needs of the youth of our community," he said.

An advertisement for Notley's former job was sent to several social service agencies in Yellowknife last week.

Organizational review

In May, Tastad had said the board was looking into complaints about SideDoor. 

This week he said the organization had made changes "to ensure better communication in the delivery of our services." 

"This has included strengthening our youth council to provide [a] voice within the organization," Tastad said. 

Tastad added that SideDoor is completing an "independent organizational review," which includes a youth forum to help leadership understand where SideDoor can improve.

In the meantime, Noma Khumalo, who was SideDoor's operations manager, will act as executive director until Notley's replacement is hired. Khumalo had not responded to requests for an interview by publishing time.