About Us
Who We Are
A place of shelter, warmth, and belonging in the North.
Uquutaq Society provides safe, healthy, and dignified housing solutions and supports for people experiencing homelessness in Iqaluit, Nunavut.
Uquutaq means “windbreak — a shelter, a place to rest and stay warm” in Inuktitut.
Why Uquutaq Exists
Homelessness in Iqaluit — and across Nunavut — is shaped by place, history, and systems.
Iqaluit is one of the most expensive housing markets in Canada, with extremely limited rental availability.
For Inuit, housing insecurity often means disconnection from family, culture, and land — deepening the impacts of colonization and trauma.
Uquutaq exists to respond with care grounded in community and lived experience.
Our Approach
Meeting people where they are — and supporting what comes next.
Soon, Uquutaq will operate within this housing continuum:
SHELTERS
TRANSITIONAL HOUSING
LONG-TERM HOUSING OPTIONS
Real Lives. Real Change.
Noah's Journey
Your support doesn’t just provide beds — it builds futures, restores hope, and creates opportunities for people like Noah to thrive.
Our Mission
What guides our work every day.
We provide safe, healthy, and dignified housing solutions and supports for people experiencing homelessness in Iqaluit, Nunavut.
Our Goal
Building a stronger housing system for Iqalummiut.
Uquutaq’s work is guided by clear, community-informed goal:
Building pathways from homelessness to home
Our History
Growing with the community, responding to need.
Uquutaq’s story is rooted in community leadership and a willingness to step forward when the need was clear.
Our Team
Improving options, improving lives.
Our work is led by a dedicated team with deep experience in housing, social services, and community-based support in the North. Together, they bring local knowledge, professional expertise, and a shared commitment to safe, healthy and long-term solutions for people in Iqaluit.
Laurel McCorriston
Executive Director
Laurel McCorriston is the Executive Director of the Uquutaq Society. She has spent 30 years in the housing sector across the private, non-profit and public sectors. Laurel has lived 12 years in Iqaluit, including the last seven years at the helm of Uquutaq. Laurel grew up southern Canada in a family that was dedicated to the value of service, kindness and inclusiveness. She inherited a love of the North from her father, a carpenter and gold miner who worked in the Yukon and Alaska. “I’m a committed believer in the rights of Inuit on their homeland and try to provide service in the spirit of reconciliation and respect,” Laurel states.
Board of Directors
Uquutaq Society is governed by an elected Board of Directors consisting of six members.
Kwame Neba
Chair
I joined the Uquutaq Society board because the mission matters deeply to me. Housing insecurity and marginalization are not abstract issues; they affect real people, families, and communities. I wanted to be part of an organization that meets people with dignity and practical support, and I felt my experience in leadership, governance, and public service could help strengthen that work.
Beverly Myers
Vice Chair
I volunteer on the Board of Directors of the Uqaataq Society because I believe in giving back to the community that has become my home. Living in Nunavut has given me a deep appreciation for the strength, resilience, and generosity of the people here, and I wanted to contribute in a meaningful way.
Kathleen Gomes
Treasurer
I joined the Uquutaq Board 11 or 12 years ago after being approached by the former Chair. At the time, the organization was exploring the possibility of acquiring its own building rather than continuing to rent a house with limited space. There was a clear need for a new shelter and programming to help address homelessness in Iqaluit. With a background in finance and experience working with other organizations involved in housing, I felt Uquutaq would be a good fit and an opportunity to contribute to an important community need.
Isaac Mensah
Secretary
Aaron Wile
Director
I joined the Uquutaq Society board to actively contribute to ending homelessness in Nunavut.
Kristen Hebert
I joined the Uquutaaq Society Board because I believe everyone deserves stable housing and the opportunity to thrive, and I wanted to contribute to that mission.
Looking Ahead
Building long-term solutions in the North.
Uquutaq is expanding services and infrastructure to build a more responsive housing system in Iqaluit.
Working Together
Community, partnership, and shared responsibility.
Uquutaq’s work is made possible through collaboration — with Inuit organizations, governments, service providers, staff, volunteers, and supporters who believe in the importance of stable housing as a foundation for wellbeing. Supporting Uquutaq is a way to move reconciliation forward, and invest in community-led solutions that reflect the unique geography, history, and strengths of Nunavut.