Debates of June 15, 2016 (day 21)

Thank you, Mr. Testart. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The Transitional Rent Supplement Program is based the same as public housing. It depends on the region that you do. We have to recognize that, although we do provide as many programs as we can to accommodate the needs of many people within the territories, we do have to prioritize. We have huge core needs. We have to prioritize on the lower income families within our territories. We do provide supports, not only to middle income earners, but also to higher incomes, programs that anyone can access. But addressing our core need is our priority. I hate to say it, often lower income families are struggling within those core needs. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you, Minister. Mr. Testart.

Kieron Testart

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I understand that the TRSP has some difficulties with uptake. What is the current usage rate of the program? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Testart. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. We have about 150 people actually taking advantage of the Transitional Rent Supplement Program at this time. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Minister. Mr. Testart.

Kieron Testart

Are those 150 clients receiving the full amount of the allocated funding? The $900,000. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Testart. Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Currently, no. Again, we have just started our fiscal year. The bigger thing is, like I said, within the needs survey that is going out, we will be looking at every single program that the Housing Corporation provides to make sure that they are still meeting the needs and that they are addressing the needs within the communities. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Minister. Mr. Testart.

Kieron Testart

Thank you, Mr. Chair. As the Minister said, if the focus on the program is on lower income earners and to address poverty issues, shall we say, then perhaps the program is working. What it is not doing is helping middle-class or middle-income earners, who are perhaps single parents or individuals renting. It is not doing much to help them. My concern is that affordability remains high, and if you are a young person coming back to start your life in the North and you don’t have two incomes and you are renting and your rent is very high and your cost of living increases to grow, you can’t find affordability in your home situation. You may be given very few choices. Finding a spouse so you can add an extra income to your household is probably too much a choice for most people to make. The other choice is leaving. The more people we lose to our high cost of living, the fewer resources this government has to provide services and benefits to Northerners. I would strongly recommend we take a look, maybe not through this program, but another program, to help those middle-income earners, who are young people struggling to make ends meet. They might have well-paying jobs, but it is just not well enough for our high cost of living. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Testart. Your time is expired. We have about five minutes left. I will let Mr. McNeely ask his question. He was next on my list. Mr. McNeely.

Daniel McNeely

Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Chair. My question is on page 368 underneath the Transitional Rent Supplement Program. It seems to me there, with the whole issue of core need, we have over the years since the SHAG and HAP programs of years and years ago have created this industry, which is a 100-per-cent liability to this government through the Housing Corporation and then on to this program. With the limited amount of funds that we receive, my suggestion is if a review of that program could happen because there are other support programs, we have heard over the last four months here, to address anti-poverty such as the soup kitchen program, the shelter program, the income support program. I just bring that forth as a comment, Mr. Chair. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. McNeely. Would the Minister like to respond to his comment?

Yes. Thank you, Mr. Chair. We are in agreement that we do provide some programs that maybe we shouldn’t be. That is part of the survey and trying to see, again, which programs are still relevant or not, being conscious, though, that right now, with just trying to address the amount of people that are paying more than 30 per cent of their income to the cost of living or to suitability, to core needs within the community, we are still way behind the gun. We need to be really careful when we restructure programs that we don’t try to make it too broad and that we can address the core needs. Programs will be reviewed, but being conscious of what our goals are. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Minister. Noting the clock, I will now rise and report progress. Thank you to the Minister and her witnesses. Sergeant-at-Arms, would you please escort the witnesses from the Chamber.

Report of Committee of the Whole