Marci cho, Mr. Speaker. I have questions for the Minister, NWT Housing Corporation, following my Member’s statement. I’d like to ask if the Minister feels that the Housing Corporation has an effective communications plan for the people that they serve, specifically, the public housing clients at this point. I hear a lot of people come to me and indicate that it was difficult for them to report their income and they’re having trouble with that because they would pay 30 per cent of their gross income towards rent. I know that hasn’t been the case for quite a few years that the maximum rent is just a little over 19 per cent of their gross income, so I’d like to ask that question to the Minister. Does she feel she has an effective communications plan for the people in public housing? Thank you.
Minister for NWT Housing Corporation.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think at the GNWT level that the Ministers and the Premier have addressed, have identified that communication within all of our departments is an area that we need to work further on. I have given direction to the Housing Corporation to develop a communication plan. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I’d like to ask if the Minister would consider looking at developing a housing plan which has all aspects of housing that we look at in the communities, meaning that they look at not only the public housing, but all of the home ownership in the communities and all of the market housing and all of the staff housing in any particular community. I recognize that this would be a difficult task in a place like Yellowknife and Hay River, Inuvik. In the small communities where a high percentage of people are reliant on social housing, I’d like to ask if the Minister would develop a housing development plan for each community.
Yes, the NWT Housing Corporation is committed to doing a community housing development plan, specific for every community. We will be looking within that to get answers from people who live in the homes, the LHO’s within every community, the community government and the staff of course, of the corporation. As well, I will be asking feedback from our MLAs in, to also give feedback into the questionnaires within this survey before it is put out.
Mr. Speaker, recognizing that the Housing Corporation has a number of programs to address the housing needs across the communities, I believe there are four main home ownership programs. There’s market housing initiatives. There are other staff housing initiatives and of course, public housing also. I’d like to know if within the point when the Minister is doing the community housing development plans, if there’s any contemplation that perhaps it could change the programs and change the way they try to address core need at the community level. Thank you.
Yes, the Housing Corporation is actually… The reason that we’re putting out the survey is to identify within each community what they define as their priorities because we do recognize that one size does not fit all and we need to take more of a community focus within our housing programs. We are open to looking at every program that we currently provide and other options that the communities may put forward.
Oral questions. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.
Marci cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I’d like to ask the Minister has there been any discussion with her senior officials at the Housing Corporation towards developing a plan for what we’ve been talking about through the mandate, aging-in-place for seniors. Thank you.
Yes, the senior management within the NWT Housing Corp. also recognizes the aging-in-place for seniors issue is huge and that we need to address it. We are taking a really proactive approach to actually providing housing so that people can age in place.
Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife North.
