Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we have residents within our communities who want nothing but to better their lives for themselves and their families. I am referring to residents of our communities who want to return back to school in hopes of finding a secure career path for their immediate future. Their hopes and dreams are soon diminished upon returning to their home communities to find that they do not have a home to go to.
Mr. Speaker, I was contacted by a constituent from my riding who stated that she wanted to go back to school for this very reason. Before leaving her community with her family of four, she was assured by the local housing authority that her housing unit would be available once she finishes school. Today she is on a lengthy waiting list and sharing a home with a family of five. In total, there are nine people staying in the home.
Mr. Speaker, completing an accredited course should be a time of celebration, not one where you start to worry about how you are going to house your family. This young lady has informed me that the local housing authority and Housing NWT should revisit their policies and procedures into how housing units are allocated. Mr. Speaker, this disappointed young lady stated that there are small families living in units where bigger families can be better accommodated. The allocation of housing units needs to be strategized where the size of the family is considered. I know this is a problem in every community, and if the department can get feedback from the community members on where and how some of these ongoing issues might be resolved then that is a good start.
Mr. Speaker, I will always refer back to when we were strong and independent before Housing NWT intervened and tried to make our lives better. Today this is a national crisis, and the residents of 33 communities want to be involved in how Housing NWT should accommodate its residents. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Mackenzie Delta. Oral questions. Member from Range Lake.
