Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I have questions for the Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation regarding targeted seniors housing programs.
Mr. Speaker, can the Minister advise me if seniors are still the highest core need group in housing across the Territories? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. The honourable Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation, Mr. Robert McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Seniors continue to be one of the highest core needs across the Northwest Territories. Thank you.
I thought they would be the highest core need group; that was my understanding. However, can the Minister agree that once a unit or a house is considered beyond economical repair, that that unit is scheduled for replacement or should be replaced as opposed to being repaired? Thank you.
Once a unit is determined to be unsafe or unhealthy to live in, or beyond economic repair, then the plan is normally to demolish the units and replace them. Thank you.
You can imagine the high cost of that, replacing all the seniors’ homeownership units across the Territories. Can the Minister commit to directing his staff and the NWT Housing Corporation to develop a program that targets core need housing for seniors’ home repairs? Thank you.
The NWT Housing Corporation has a few programs that are targeted at seniors, the Seniors Preventative Maintenance Program being one of them. You used to be able to qualify for up to $875, but it’s been raised to $2,000 and that will enable them to get some preventative maintenance work done on their unit. As well, through the CARE program, the old seniors program, they would qualify for possibly up to $20,000, but through the CARE program they can qualify up to $90,000 and seniors are given a priority. But as I heard in one of my visits to the Member’s community, there was some discussion about the old program and $20,000 and maybe using that. So it’s something that as a corporation we’ll continue to explore and if we find that we get more value for our dollar by spreading them out and doing more units, then that’s something we’d have to consider. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Final supplementary, Mr. Beaulieu.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The reason I’m asking these questions is because the CARE program is not addressing the issues with the seniors and the seniors wish to see targeted programs. So can the Minister, in addition to looking at a seniors home repair program, a targeted program for a seniors home repair program and commit to directing his staff and the NWT Housing Corporation to develop a program that targets seniors and disabled persons in a preventive maintenance program? Thank you.
Thank you. The Seniors Preventative Maintenance Program enables seniors to access up to $2,000 for some work. There are also two or three programs, where we’re a delivery agent for CMHC, that specifically targets seniors and one of them is Home Adaption for Seniors and Dependents. So there are some programs out there.
I’ve heard the Member’s concerns, I’ve heard the concerns from one of his communities that I visited. So it is one that I will take back to the corporation and see how we can best address the needs of seniors. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.
