Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, today I would like to speak once again about the issues and barriers that exist for regular people within Housing NWT.
Madam Speaker, in my experience as an elected leader over the last 15 years, I've come to see that there seems to be a real disconnect between the administrators of the Housing NWT and the people who use their services. It seems that there's an increasing lack of compassion given to people and a growing and strict inherence to bureaucracy and policy. And this is coming at a cost of the dignity and respect of the clients who use Housing NWT.
People who live and use public housing are almost always the most vulnerable in our communities as they are usually low income, might be struggling with employment, or may have issues with addictions. These are regular people just trying to get by yet at times it's almost like they're being punished because of past mistakes they made, or they're just being overlooked because of internal bias.
Madam Speaker, I'd really love to see Housing NWT think outside the box in their efforts to address constituent housing needs. I think the department needs to consider some serious structural and systematic changes in order to better serve the people of the NWT. There needs to be more done than just change the name of itself from the Housing Corporation to Housing NWT.
Ultimately, there needs to be a stronger leadership, coming from the top down, that will produce betters results for our residents. It's the only way positive changes will be done with strong leadership.
Madam Speaker, last week, on October 27th, I tabled a letter from the NWT Seniors Society directed to the Minister of Housing NWT. Their letter outlines various issues and concerns that seniors have been dealing with from Housing NWT. For example, they said that many of the structures that are intended to support residents are broken and that local housing authority boards, which were originally intended to be a tool to aid tenants, appear to become a tool of the Housing NWT.
They state that when some seniors identify maintenance issues to their authority, they are subject to ridicule, intimidation, harassment and disrespect followed by eviction. Madam Speaker, may I have unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
Unanimous consent granted
In closing, Madam Speaker, I totally agree with the NWT Seniors Society here, because I have had several of my constituents deal with this identical situation. I echo the seniors society that this is totally unacceptable and cannot continue. Nobody should live in fear and insecurity or be threatened with becoming homeless, period.
I also hope that the Minister will follow up with the NWT society and meet with them as they were requested in the letter. I will have questions for the Minister of Housing NWT at the appropriate time. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Thank you, Member. Members' statements. Member for Monfwi.
