Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, navigating one’s way through the government bureaucracy to access programs and services can be a difficult task at the best of times. In many cases this is something that can be overcome with patience and persistence. However, for people who depend on programs and services to meet their basic needs, missing important information about rules and criteria can have devastating consequences. I’d like to speak to a couple of those rules today.

Mr. Speaker, recently I’ve heard from constituents who have just moved out of public housing. Their income support accommodation allowance was set at $32 a month, which is only enough to rent subsidized public housing units. One constituent, Mr. Speaker, left another community to move to Hay River only to get there to find out that they were not aware of the rule that you had to live in the community for six months prior to applying for another public housing unit. So even though they were a public housing client in another community, once they moved to Hay River they were not aware of the six-month rule.

Another rule that a lot of people are not aware of who live in public housing is that if you owe any back rent to any housing authority, or any damages to any housing authority, or to any other landlord for that matter, you are also ineligible for public housing. I think that there are probably very good and sound reasons for some of these rules; some I would question to some extent. The one on mobility within territory is a difficult one sometimes, because people sometimes move for good and valid reasons: to seek education or employment opportunities, or training. For example, a single mother may decide to go to Fort Smith or Yellowknife to seek training, go back to their home community for the summer only to find out that the home they gave up in public housing is no longer available to them because they’ve left the community and they’re back on the bottom of the list because of the six-month criteria.

The rule with respect to not owing back rent is also a good rule because people shouldn’t be living in public housing and expect them not to have to be current with their rent, especially if it is $32 a month. That having been said, there may be good and solid grounds for some of these rules, but, Mr. Speaker, surely the government has to show some compassion and take some responsibility for making program rules and criteria clear, especially when lack of awareness can result in someone ending up on the street.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement. Thank you.

Speaker: MR. SPEAKER

The Member is seeking unanimous consent to conclude her statement. Are there any nays? There are no nays. You have unanimous consent to conclude.

Jane Groenewegen

Hay River South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you, colleagues. Mr. Speaker, we have tenant relation officers and income support workers who should be in a position to warn people about the consequences of leaving public housing, and also not paying their rent and leaving debts owing to housing authorities. Mr. Speaker, people generally want to avoid being homeless if they can help it. I believe that, and they need to make informed choices, but, Mr. Speaker, they also need to know the rules. Public housing is usually people who are in difficult circumstances, and it needs to be viewed as such. We have an obligation to make those rules very clear and that’s why I make this statement today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause