Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, on October 5th, 2022, I sent an email to two Ministers requesting for integrated case management services for two constituents. These constituents are a couple who are experiencing homelessness and barriers to obtaining income assistance. In talking with the housing Minister about this, she referenced a housing strategy that has not been tabled yet.
I'd like to ask the Minister is she okay with Norman Wells, Hay River, Inuvik, Yellowknife, and Behchoko having a homeless shelter and allowing Fort Smith to go without one? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Thebacha. Minister responsible for Housing NWT.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and just thank you to the Member for that question. But just a correction, Norman Wells does not have a homeless shelter.
We are working with the Indigenous groups throughout the Northwest Territories to try to find solutions on how to deal with people who are experiencing either homelessness and do have challenges at the ground level. We don't have integrated case management in the smaller communities; therefore, we try to work very strongly, very strategically with the employees at the ground level, working with the local housing authority. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I asked for a joint response from the housing Minister and the ECE Minister to assist with this dire situation that this couple is in. I've only received bureaucratic answers with no solutions, as usual with this Minister. When will the Minister provide actual solutions for my constituents and direct her staff to be more compassionate to vulnerable and homeless people? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And in respect to the Member's riding, housing has worked very collaboratively with the Indigenous groups within that riding. We have been able to more housing units on the ground as well too. But not only that, just working with the individuals and having to try to find housing solutions. Housing cannot solve the housing crisis on our own. We need the partners at the table. Housing has been working very closely with the Member's Indigenous governments within her riding. And we continue to work in collaboration together in trying to find housing solutions at the local community level. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it seems there's a lack of compassion and urgency to the suffering of vulnerable people experiencing homelessness. I would like to ask the Minister where is the compassion from this government and from her department? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the Member for the question as well. This is an area that we have taken a different turn within the Housing portfolio as well, and we're starting to find that working with the nonprofit organizations throughout the Northwest Territories do need a lot more support and a lot more training in dealing with their clientele. Housing has been working throughout the Northwest Territories providing those services agreement and trying to come up with solutions as well. Within the portfolio, we did we are looking at further programming. Just one at the top of my head is the Canada housing benefit that we did increase. It first had started off at $200,000, and now we're at $2.5 million. And with that, we're able to really understand the housing need and the crisis throughout the Northwest Territories. But we continue to work together with the communities to try to find further solutions. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary, Member for Thebacha.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as stated earlier, I sent an email to the housing Minister on October the 5th, which was 14 days ago. That's 11 business days. When will the Minister provide a response to that email? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. When I'm receiving the responses back from the department, they often go back for further analysis as well too and looking at what we possibly can have at the ground level with which is, honestly, very, very limited. We try to look for what resources do we actually have in order for us to be housing people. And we have just a limited amount of housing units in the Northwest Territories. We also have a waitlist that is out there as well. We also deal with women and children and families who are either returning back from treatment, dealing with domestic violence, and we are trying our best to be trying to be more accommodating to the people of the Northwest Territories. But I really would like to like I further said, is that we need to be working as a community and together and with all stakeholders at the table in order for us to really address these these strong housing needs and issues throughout the territory. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Nunakput.
Question 1197-19(2):
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in addition to my statement today, NWT housing crisis, we're facing a health crisis also. But it stems work like, living together in overcrowded units, it's really drawing a lot of a lot of hurt and hardship between families because there are just not enough homes.
Mr. Speaker, I reference since we started sitting in for this 19th Assembly, 15 times I've made Member's statements in this House in regards to the housing issues that we do have in the territory. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister plan to reduce overcrowded homes in Nunakput riding and when that when is we could work together for that? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Nunakput. Minister responsible for Housing NWT.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Member from Nunakput as well too. I understand where all the Members are coming from as well too. And with the portfolio, we're trying very hard to find strategies and be very strategic on our investment for the Northwest Territories, and also investing fairly and recognizing that all of our people throughout the Northwest Territories are facing a housing crisis.
For the Member's riding, as of to date, we are going to be investing $9.2 million for the 20232024 government. We have $8 million that is going to be completing eight public housing units and repairing nine housing units. We have $1.2 million for homeownership repair program for private homeowners and minor repairs for NWT units.
I would also like to include, Mr. Speaker, that Paulatuk will be receiving four units. Tuk will be receiving four as well. Ulukhaktok will be receiving two. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Or mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Minister for that. I'd like to you know, how can how many people are currently homeless under the housing in my riding in Nunakput, Mr. Speaker? What's the plan to increase housing options for these people? Are we able to take off through the CMHC, able to give these houses away like we planned? And we're waiting one couple in Sachs Harbour for two years now to get that program out. So how do we get them to get that house off the books from CMHC to provide a new house in Sachs Harbour to be able to provide for our younger generation that's having families but having to stay with their parents. This is unacceptable, Mr. Speaker. We need an answer for this and sooner than later. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Member for his question. With the housing portfolio, there's also the community housing plans, and I know it might seem kind of minor to the Member, but we need to come up with a strategy at the community level in order for us to be at for us to be working and trying to address the housing needs strategically at the ground level. These community housing plans are also lobbying documents for the federal government in trying to acquire further funding.
There was an announcement for the distinctionbased funding. I don't have the number in front of me of how much the Member's riding as received. But I am interested in looking at those housing sales, Mr. Speaker.
I also would like to see transfers of those units, if they're single family dwelling, I would like to see those and further look at those files as well. I don't have information at the tip of my fingers right now. But I need to see the rate and condition of those units and the possibility of an options for transfer. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I know that with the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation receives $76 million last year for housing. Is this Minister working with the Inuvialuit to try to work together to combine funding to get houses into the communities? And then my last one or not my last one. But the people in Sachs Harbour, for say, they paid two years into a program that they were told that they had the unit. But there was the two years that they paid the rent without the House being signed over. Will the Minister commit to that couple once, that verbal commitment was made by the Inuvik housing authority, that money they paid for the last two years goes into the purchase of that unit? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Sorry, Mr. Speaker. I would like to take a look at those files as well that the Member is referencing with the two years with that agreement, and I would like to see what is the current update on them. So I'd like to encourage the Member to send that over to my office.
And also Housing does work very closely with the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation as well too. They just recently met September 22nd. I don't have those further details. But I can follow up with the Member and give him an update. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary, Member for Nunakput.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, that information's been sent over two years and it's been sent numerous times to the Minister's office. Not to her office, per se, to the Inuvik Housing Authority. We need some answers here. We got people on waiting two years now. And of all places, I mean, we don't have many houses in Sachs Harbour. We need more housing units in Sachs Harbour. We take this one off, we give it to them under they're paying for it. But at the end of the day, they're going to be able to take that house and get another house under CMHC because we're only allotted so many units in the community. So that's going to be a big help. But the Minister has to make sure that I'm asking her to get this done for the and there's two of them that I'm really pushing for and the information's already there. So she could get her staff in Inuvik to do that, because we're waiting for an answer. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will follow up with the Inuvik office and with those specific files and get back to the Member. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.
