All 36 tenants and their families who lost their homes in the Noble House apartment fire at 1088 Mivvik Street in Iqaluit on Jan. 8 are now living in Government of Nunavut (GN) staff housing, according to the Nunavut Housing Corporation (NHC).
The blaze completely destroyed the 37-unit building owned by Northview.
The units had been leased by the NHC for GN staff housing. Thirty-six of the 37 units were occupied at the time of the fire, and all tenants and their families were displaced as a result.
The rehoused tenants were given access to units that had been reserved for future hires by various departments through the GN Allocation Committee.
In a written response, Irma Arkus, manager of communications for the GN Department of Human Resources, said recruitment within the GN, however, was not on hold as a result of the relocation of the fire victims, as many available positions are advertised without allocated staff housing units.
Various GN departments have been working in collaboration with the Canadian Red Cross and the City of Iqaluit to provide coordinated support to the affected tenants and their families to ensure they have the supports they need to recover from the disaster.
Iqaluit Facebook pages were filled with offers of support, fundraising efforts and donations after the tragic blaze that destroyed tenants’ belongings.
Amber Aglukark was one of the organizers of the fundraising effort to help ensure the residents were taken care of. She said the community as a whole was very generous in immediately providing necessities and donations as soon as people learned of the tragedy.
“The first couple of nights were pretty heavy,” Aglukark said of the emotional toll the fire had on the residents who gathered at the Cadet Hall. “They needed something to help their kids get through the next day like snacks and food and some extra clothing,” she said.
Donations of clothing, personal items and winter gear were provided, and a GoFundMe campaign is aiding tenants with some financial assistance to get them back on their feet.
After a few days though, Aglukark said their spirits started to lift after the initial shock wore off a bit.
“It was the efforts of the community that came together that helped them feel secure and strong enough to get through this,” she said.
Now that most of the tenants are relocated, Aglukark said they are trying to rebuild their lives and create new homes for themselves.
“After speaking with a few people, you know, as much as one or two people can spearhead these efforts, it's the response that we get from the community that means more.
“It's how people responded to the requests and what we needed, and kind of keeping that emotion levelled throughout the whole process throughout the week as we transition from the heaviness to the uplifting moments, and just how the community was able to respond to that immediately.”
Northview was contacted for comment but did not respond.