Debates of February 1, 2006 (day 20)

Mr. Speaker, I have a return to oral question asked by Mr. Lafferty on October 25, 2005, regarding the rent scale used by the NWT Housing Corporation for public housing.

Specifically, Mr. Lafferty asked how the rent scale is determined.

The rental amount is derived from a household's monthly income. This is the same in all communities. The cost of living and unit condition reductions are then subtracted from this. The cost of living reduction is a variable number and is dependent on the community and the number of people in the household.

The rent scale embodies the principle that residents of the Northwest Territories with the greatest need should receive the most help. Thus, the public housing rent scale ensures that all social housing tenants are treated fairly and equally across the NWT with regards to access and costs of shelter.

The rent scale also reinforces the principle of affordability as no tenants pay more than 30 percent of gross household income towards shelter costs. On average, public housing tenants currently pay 13 percent of gross household income for rent. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.