Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are addressed to the Minister of the Housing Corporation. I’d like to follow up on a bit of a pet subject of mine and that’s homelessness.
Some time ago, I guess it was in 2011, we received a report on homelessness in Yellowknife. Following that there was a commitment from the government to hire a homelessness coordinator. That has been done and I’m very pleased to see that we’ve had that coordinator for going on to a full year now, I think.
The Premier and the Minister both promised an evaluation of the two programs that we had before we got the homelessness coordinator and my understanding is that the evaluation of those two programs has been done. But about a year ago, not quite, the Minister indicated a review of cross-departmental, throughout the whole government evaluation of homelessness programs and what was required was going to take some time.
I’d like to know from the Minister if that fulsome review of homelessness within the GNWT has been done and when we might be able to see it.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation, Mr. McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Our homelessness coordinator actually started in August of this year, and she has had the opportunity to meet with some folks here in Yellowknife and in Nahendeh, I believe, and it’s her intent to try and go across the Northwest Territories to meet with all the stakeholders and get their input on some of the programs they’re running and some of the improvements that could be made. As far as an overall report, this will be part of the process. I will commit to try to see where we’re at with that and get some information to the Members as quickly as possible.
I’m a little surprised that it was August when we hired the coordinator. Some months ago it was going to be January. I’m very glad that we have somebody hired and we have somebody in the position. I’m very glad that homelessness is going to be under one person’s authority and purview.
I’d like to know from the Minister if there are any plans, in terms of homelessness, for the 2014-15 budget that he can share with us at this time. Are we going to have an increase in the amount of money that’s available for homelessness programs?
As far as the infrastructure goes, I think we’ve made it well known that we’ve made some contributions to some organizations to help with the infrastructure, and we do that throughout the Northwest Territories. I think one of the things we do quite well is make some contributions to some of the infrastructure that they’d be running.
As far as the programs go, that’s under a different department. But 2014-15, we will be having discussions on the business planning process, I think, come December, and there will be an opportunity there for Members to have some input into that. I believe for the last few years it’s been about $350,000 in the two different pots that we administer, so we will be able to have that discussion during the business planning process in December.
It’s unfortunate we don’t know at this point that we’re going to get more money for homelessness; $300,000 is a pittance, and it really doesn’t address the needs that we have across the territory. But I thank the Minister for the opportunity to provide some input in December. I look forward to that.
A response that I got to some questions I sent to the Minister some time ago mentioned that the Housing Corp is working with Health and Social Services to keep seniors in their homes and he referenced a project that they were working on. I wondered if he could tell me whether or not that project has been determined, if he could share some of the details of that project with the House.
I’m not sure if the Member is talking about the pilot projects that we’re trying from each community or for four communities as far as helping with homelessness goes. I know on the seniors side of it we have about 300 units that are in our public housing portfolio that are specifically earmarked for seniors and we try to keep seniors in their homes as long as possible. As well, are the programs that we have for seniors that do own their own homes? We have a Preventative Maintenance Program that we’re able to assist them in working with Health and Social Services on the home care part of it. They do a good job in keeping a lot of the seniors in their units. There are a number of initiatives that we’re working on right now.
As far as details on the pilot project that we’re working on, homelessness in some of the communities, we’ll have further details. We’re still early in the planning stages right now and locations haven’t been determined yet, but as soon as we have more information I will be sure to pass it on to the Members and seek their input as to how they would like to see this rolled out.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Final, short supplementary, Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thanks to the Minister. I look forward to that information and those details. Lastly, the Falvo Report in 2011 referenced the need for standards within the homelessness facilities, particularly within the city of Yellowknife here, and I’m talking about the Centre for Northern Families and the Salvation Army. I’d like to know from the Minister if the idea of establishing standards for homelessness centres is something that is on the radar of his department.
We would like to think all the homeless shelters, emergency shelters, transition homes would be of the highest standards. As far as standards go, I will follow up and see where we are with that, but I would expect that all of our units, and I know the ones that I’ve been to, have very high standards. I’ll follow up on the Member’s request and I’ll communicate that to the Member and Members.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.
