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Mr. Speaker, strengthening relationships with Indigenous governments is a priority of this Legislative Assembly and a key objective in Housing NWT’s renewal strategy, so I am pleased to announce the formation of the NWT Housing Forum as another step toward this goal.
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Mr. Speaker, today I want to extend my continued sympathies to the families of two men who gave so much to our territory and also highlight how our government will be honouring their memories for years to come. I am of course speaking about the loss of two exceptional men, former Housing Minister Alfred Moses, and former Housing NWT President and CEO,
Tom Williams. I have carried their memory in this portfolio, advancing our relationships with Indigenous governments and most importantly, working directly with our communities.
The Town of Hay River and the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) are announcing the town’s five-year community housing plan, designed to address the community’s unique housing needs, increase housing supply, and improve affordability for residents.
The Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) is introducing two new scholarships in memory of Tom Williams and Alfred Moses that will recognize and celebrate students who provide positive solutions to housing programs across the Northwest Territories (NWT).
The Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) is announcing that Housing NWT is now accepting applications for single intake homeowner repair programs.
As part of Housing NWT’s Renewal Strategy, the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) has updated and modernized the points rating system used to prioritize public housing clients.
Public housing applicants who have met the eligibility criteria undergo prioritization using a rating system that allocates an applicant a given number of points for certain needs (e.g., not enough bedrooms in their current accommodation; not enough income to pay for their current accommodation, inadequacy of their current accommodation).
The Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) has released a draft Homelessness Strategy, titled A Way Home: A Comprehensive Strategy to Address Homelessness in the Northwest Territories, and is seeking feedback from the public.
Addressing ongoing housing issues across the Northwest Territories (NWT) has been and remains a key mandate priority of the GNWT. While the GNWT currently provides safe housing options for those in need of assistance through shelters and multiple programs, homelessness remains a reality experienced by far too many residents.
On April 1 the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) will launch a two-year pilot project to support the start up and operation of licensed family day homes in public housing units.
The pilot project, led by Housing NWT and the department of Education, Culture and Employment, is focused on non-market housing communities where no licensed early learning and child care programs currently exist. Non-market communities are those that do not have private rental options.
Communities participating in the pilot:
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Mr. Speaker, I want to share with you some of the exciting things happening at Housing Northwest Territories that are a direct result of our renewal strategy.
Since the initiation of the strategy, Housing NWT has worked with the Council of Leaders to revise and modernize its mandate and use that mandate to guide the review of our policies and programs. We are now in the process of implementing the changes coming from that review.
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Mr. Speaker, addressing housing needs in the Northwest Territories cannot be done by any single government. We must continue to build and strengthen partnerships: partnerships with Indigenous governments, Indigenous organizations, community governments, Non-government Organizations, private companies, and the Government of Canada.
