Thank you, Madam Chair. When a natural disaster happens, where do the funds come from for that? Like, for a natural disaster within a community, I would like to know: where would the funds come for that?
Thank you, Member. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I want to be very clear on this that the Housing Corporation administers their units and their houses and their infrastructure that they own. If one of our units had experienced one of these natural disaster situations within our own stock, this is the funding that we would use to repair those damages. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Member for Thebacha.
Madam Chair, I am not really clear on the answer. When a natural disaster happens, where a place is actually destroyed, and it involves a senior, and the senior has to go into other housing, which happened, do they still have to go through a means test?
Thank you, Member. Minister. Sorry, Member for Thebacha. You're going to have to repeat that last part because of the mic.
Madam Chair, I am asking, when a natural disaster happens, and the house is completely destroyed, because we did have a tornado in Fort Smith, and if we have a senior who is involved and has ownership of that house, and it's completely destroyed, if they are moved into a smaller unit, do they still have to have that means test and pay the full amount?
Thank you, Member for Thebacha. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I am familiar with this situation that the Member is speaking about. The natural disasters that this emergency money would be securing, I really want to emphasize, would be the infrastructure that the Housing Corporation does secure and that we do own. I would have to review this again, because we did provide the client with a public housing unit immediately. For us to rebuild a unit for the individual, it wasn't a part of our stock and it wasn't a part of our inventory, so this would be a very different scenario to be working towards. The disaster funding that is there is used tremendously with the water freeze-ups that we do have and sewage freeze-ups, as well, and the furnaces. It's strongly used in that category, but looking at the natural disasters, I would have to look at that further for a privately-owned home. I am not too sure. I would have to get back to the Member. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Minister. To the Member, just make sure when you are talking, when we get too specific, the privacy of our residents may be compromised. Thank you. Member for Thebacha.
I never named any names. I am just trying to see if they have to have a means test when they go into another unit when a natural disaster happens. That's all I want is clarification.
Thank you, Member. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I would have to get back to the Member, because I am not familiar with the means test. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Member for Thebacha.
Madam Chair, I have been back and forth with this whole natural disaster issue since I first got elected, and I still do not have an answer. I am just wondering which line that would come under in the housing budget. That's all; I want clarification.
Thank you, Member. Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation.
Thank you, Madam Chair. The Housing Corporation administers our public housing units and our interests that we do have on the ground. We don't have anything that's for personal home units in regard to a natural disaster. You can apply, going forward, but I will just have Mr. Carpenter elaborate on this a little bit more. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Mr. Carpenter.
Thank you, Madam Chair. If there was a situation where an individual hypothetically lost their home to a natural disaster and they wanted to get into a homeownership program with the Housing Corporation, the line item that would probably fit in this situation would be providing assistance for territorial homeownership. That's a down payment program that we offer for clients to get bank financing and a down payment from us to purchase or build a new home. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Carpenter. Member for Thebacha.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I just want to reiterate my question. They're not asking for an extra home or anything. All I want to know is: where does it come under? Two things. One is: do they have to have a means test when they move into another unit during the time of what their future is going to be? They've been through a lot of trauma, this family; and the other one is: as far as I know, they're not asking for another home. It was a natural disaster that happened. It was a tornado, where it destroyed their whole home, and I just want clarification.
Thank you, Member. I'm going to give that to the Minister, but if we don't resolve this question, I would suggest that the Minister and the Member for Thebacha try to resolve this. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I'll have Mr. Carpenter elaborate on the response. Thank you.
Thank you. Mr. Carpenter.
Thank you, Madam Chair. The simple answer is yes. All the programs that we deliver are means tested because our programs are targeted toward individuals who don't have sufficient income to address their housing issues on their own. Yes, there is an eligibility requirement, whether it's for homeownership programming or our rental portfolio. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Carpenter. Are there any further questions under programs and district operations? Member for Nunakput.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Just in regard to securing assistance for emergencies under the SAFE program. Is it only for NWT Housing Corporation houses that are under their scope? Is that correct? Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member for Nunakput. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I just want to clarify that it is for public housing units. I just want to be very careful; I want to say for private homes. I just want to clarify that and get back to the Member. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Member for Nunakput.
Thank you, Madam Chair. In regard to that, okay, housing sold units in Tuktoyaktuk. We're having a coastal erosion program now, not SAFE whatsoever. We have funding that is moving houses right now; supposedly, that's going to go through in the next month. For securing assistance for emergency, SAFE, and the seniors aging in place retrofits and repairs, the people who are being moved in my home community from the shoreline, are they eligible for those two programs, for the $1.56 million and the $800,000, once the houses are moved? Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member for Nunakput. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I just wanted to clarify. Yes, this program is available to private homeowners, and we would have to look at the applications submitted and the amount of assistance that is required. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Member for Nunakput.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Just in regard to what I brought up, we have three houses. Two were built in the 1990s; one was built in the 2000s. There's a fourth house, but we can't touch that house because it was built by a person's father and they can't move it. That being said, houses that we've been selling to the people, those three houses that we sold to them, that they're paying property tax on that's going to come up in the next one, for MACA, paying property tax, but it's all ocean-front now, 22 inches away. Now, that being said, once these houses are moved through federal dollars, through the hamlet of Tuktoyaktuk, I could come back and tell my constituents that they are eligible for the SAFE housing and the aging in place for seniors? Is that correct? Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Yes, the Member is correct. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Member for Nunakput.
Thank you. That's all for now, thanks.
All right. Are there any further questions under programs and district operations? Seeing no further questions, please turn to page 373. Oh, you have questions? Okay. Member for Monfwi.
Madam Chair, just on the SAFE program, the CARE program, seniors aging in place retrofit and repairs, we've identified the 2020 main estimates. I'm just curious, the program itself, is it all income-tested, household income? The reason I'm asking is there were questions on that with ECE, I believe. There is a seniors fuel subsidy, and we only income-test the heads of households; not family members living with them, but just the two heads of households. Have we considered that for these programs? I know there are some people living in the community who don't qualify because their household income is higher or even lower, so I'm just curious, Madam Chair, if that can be clarified.
Thank you, Member. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. It is income-tested by household income, but going forward, I am open to be looking at these applications. Should any of the Members have difficulty accessing the programs that the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation has to offer, I am open to be looking at them. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Member for Monfwi.
Masi, Madam Chair. I highly urge this Minister to seriously consider possibly making -- because it is a policy change, similar to what we've done with ECE in the past, and it worked really well for seniors and elders in the community. Housing is a big challenge in the community, people accessing it, and there are so many complaints and issues. I think, once the Minister looks into this and makes some minor changes with regard to household income versus the head of household income, I think that will make a huge difference. I am seriously hoping that the Minister will consider that as we move forward with this particular program, policy-driven. Masi.
Thank you, Member. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you, Member, for your comment. That's correct, I will be looking at the policies going forward and looking at changes that would meet the needs of the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Are there any further questions on the programs and district operations? Seeing no further questions, please turn to page 373. NWT Housing Corporation, programs and district operations, operations expenditure summary, 2020-2021 Main Estimates, $34,021,000. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you, committee. Now, we can turn to departmental summary, found on page 359. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.
