Inuvik's homeless shelter temporarily moves after bedbug infestation

Inuvik's homeless centre temporarily moved to a building on Reliance Street Thursday after being infested with bedbugs.

"We are in a crisis," said Christina Kasook, manager of the shelter.

​"Right now it's determined to just be in one room. However we have found live bedbugs in our common living room area and throughout the building."

Kasook said that she started to investigate the building Sunday when she found out one of the residents was being treated for scabies, which is caused by tiny mites.

Kasook said when she poured vinegar on the client's mattress, the bedbugs came out.

The shelter usually has around 14 to 16 residents living there at any given time.

Kasook had started to advised residents to look for other living situations but is worried about the transferring of bedbugs.

Residents could go to the John Wayne Kiktorak Centre, Kasook says. It's an emergency warming centre that is traditionally used to house people under the influence of alcohol. However, Kasook said some of her clients "refuse to move over and put themselves in that environment."

Kasook and the centre's residents began to do a deep clean of the building, before finding out they had been given a temporary home provided by the territory's Department of Health and Social Services.

They will live there for about two weeks while the centre is fumigated.

Kasook said the current building for the shelter is about 50 years old, and she hopes that they can make a permanent move soon.

"I think they should get us moved out of here. There are so many empty buildings in town that we should have access to, move in and just start fresh."