Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. On the housing front, the Nahendeh region is one of the regions in the Northwest Territories with the highest core need. Housing needs are evaluated in terms of suitability, adequacy and affordability. Suitability means having the appropriate number of bedrooms for the number of occupants; adequacy means running water, indoor plumbing, and isn’t in need of major repairs; affordability means that housing costs consumes less than 30 percent of the household income. A dwelling with problems in two or more of these areas – suitability, adequacy and affordability – gets placed in the core needs category.
Mr. Speaker, as of 2009, when the most recent housing survey was released, 35 percent of the homes in the Nahendeh region fell into a core needs category. For hundreds of my constituents, this housing situation is really grim.
A related problem is there are only a few family violence shelters to serve the entire Northwest Territories. Many women are trying to escape bad relationships, but because they can’t find safe, transitional housing, they end up back with their abusive partners.
The ugliest side of the housing crisis is homelessness. Homelessness leaves people in a constant state of stress; it’s linked to higher rates of unemployment, substance abuse and suicide. Homeless people are at higher risk of contracting HIV infection, Hepatitis C and sexually transmitted diseases.
Taken together, homelessness and inadequate housing are also significant barriers for people attempting to recover from addictions. It is often impossible to find suitable accommodations where they won’t be exposed to destructive activities and get sucked back into addictive lifestyles.
Whether we are considering Fort Simpson, Fort Liard or the smallest of my communities, there just aren’t enough shelters or other measures to provide relief. To be sure, the Housing Corporation is making great strides to improve public housing and respond to homelessness, but I would like to see facilities for homelessness and transitional housing for Nahendeh.
I will have questions for the Minister at the appropriate time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.
