Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation. I took note of his response to you about the fire at the Hay River high-rise when you were in your regular position. In particular, that he had a multi-stage plan involving all the relevant departments to assist tenants to find new accommodation. So then I thought about the situation at Rockhill which, as you know, burned down on October 1st last year. While the Y was able to rehouse some families, there are a number of them now at risk of homelessness. My question is: does the Minister have, or is he developing, one of these multi-stage plans for Rockhill? Thank you.
Thank you. Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I won't say it's unfortunate, some of the things that have been happening throughout our municipalities and the Housing Corporation, but actually the government has taken a step up in addressing these issues, as well as some of our volunteer groups and NGOs. Really, in this case, the City of Yellowknife and the residents, that was a really quick response, and I know from day one when I did hear about the fire on the radio, I called up our present CEO to make sure that we were addressing the issue.
In this case, to the Member's questions, yes, we do have a multi-stage plan for the families and the households that are affected by the Rockhill apartment fire. After it did burn down, the GNWT social envelope agencies have worked with the YWCA to assess their operations, and develop options for a potential replacement.
The Housing Corporation is currently working with CMHC, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, to identify and acquire a building to replace the Rockhill apartments. Currently, we have identified a 32-unit apartment building as a suitable building, and it would meet the needs of the YWCA for resuming their operations, and we're also supporting the YWCA through a multi-year contribution agreement under the rapid rehousing program to address the immediate rental needs of their clients. As I had mentioned, Mr. Speaker, from day one, they've been working with us. We've been working with YWCA, our stakeholders, and cross the GNWT departments. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I appreciate that response from the Minister. My information is that, while a number of families have entered into leases with their landlords in a market setting, there are 14 families who can't get leases because of their income or arrears. My question is: are the solutions to this problem going to kick in in time to help these 14 families?
Yes, we are working with the YWCA to determine the best way that we can provide assistance for those who were affected by the fire. As I mentioned before, we have a rapid rehousing program that provides assistance to cover such things such as moving costs, deposits, and the rental and/or utility assistance necessary to allow individuals to move immediately out of homelessness and to stabilize a permanent housing solution. The program also provides long-term and short-term rental subsidies, as well as financial assistance to the households.
Thank you to the Minister for his response. The YWCA has been subsidizing rental costs for this group of 14 families from its own funds, but I'm told that these funds will run out at some point this year, meaning that those without leases will become homeless. How can the Minister ensure a smooth transition to the different solutions that he has outlined?
As I mentioned, we will continue to work with the YWCA to adjust the situations on a case-by-case basis. Our contribution agreement with the YWCA under the rapid rehousing program should address some of these household needs until a long-term solution to their needs has been established. We'll continue to have that open dialogue and communication with the YWCA.
