A bit of a perspective on "...928 people waiting for housing..."
As of 2019, the population of the NWT was 44,598.*
Mársı | Kinanāskomitin | Thank you |
"... Apr 25, 2019 - In total, the N.W.T. has 928 people waiting for housing, the majority of which are looking for one-bedroom units. [...]
People in 'substandard housing and sometimes very overcrowded conditions,' says Nihtat Gwich'in Council [...]
Carnogursky said the federal government is showing a willingness to work with the North on the housing crisis.
"We need to take advantage of this opportunity and act on it."
No federal ministers
About 100 people attended the two-day conference, including chiefs and mayors from at least 24 of the N.W.T.'s 33 communities.
There were also representatives from across Nunavut and Yukon, federal organizations and the housing industry from across Canada.
N.W.T. Housing Minister Alfred Moses said they invited a "couple" of federal ministers to the conference.
"They're not here," he said. "I would've really liked to have seen them here for them to listen to how we are dealing with rural and remote issues.
Moses said this is the first time there's ever been a conference on housing that's united leaders from across the North, and not just stakeholders.
"This conference is about hearing what the issues are in the communities and with our Indigenous groups," said Moses.
He also highlighted the N.W.T.'s Community Housing Support Initiative, which is a government program that works with community groups toward affordable housing.
Moses said going forward, he hopes to see this conference continue annually in one of the three territories.
"We are creating Northern solutions for Northern housing problems." ..."
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/housing-shortage-north-inuvik-1.5110574"...
Seniors who live alone and rent are NWT's worst-off – report - The first-ever report into a living income for seniors in the Northwest Territories suggests many of those who live alone, or who are renting, may not have enough cash to make ends meet. March 17, 2019 Four communities featured in the study: Yellowknife, Fort Smith, Hay River, and Inuvik. ..."
https://cabinradio.ca/13969/news/economy/seniors-who-live-alone-and-rent-are-nwts-worst-off-report/ "... 'From scratch':
Colville Lake man building log home amidst housing shortage - Kyle Tutcho, 28, is laying out logs and preparing blueprints as he gets ready to build his home Mar 06, 2019 ..."
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/colville-lake-log-home-kyle-tutcho-1.5044280
"... Oct 03, 2018 -
N.W.T. anti-poverty strategy failing, say social justice groups - Denning added that, over the past 10 years, she has seen major developments in terms of expensive condos, but very little to combat the lack of affordable housing.
Denning said she was referring to a fire that destroyed public housing units in Yellowknife two years ago. On Tuesday, another fire destroyed 33 units at Rockhill Apartments in Yellowknife, all of which were used to house women and families while they find permanent homes.
The need for housing is even more desperate in smaller communities.
According to the anti-poverty strategy, almost a third of the houses in small communities are either in need of major repairs, too small to accommodate the number of people living in them, or costing occupants more than 30 per cent of their income...."
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/anti-poverty-groups-say-strategy-failing-1.4848115"...
Homelessness, food insecurity on the rise in the territory, says NWT Poverty Update - Thursday, Sep. 27th, 2018 - The main conditions of poverty have worsened since the territorial government released an action plan aimed at tackling them three years ago, says anti-poverty coalition Alternatives North.
The local social justice coalition released its NWT Poverty Update on Thursday, showing that the number of households on income assistance in the territory has increased by 19% between 2009 and 2016, five years after the territorial government released a strategic framework and three years after it released an anti-poverty action plan.
Even after the government raised the minimum wage from $12.50 to $13.46 an hour in April, the wealth gap between the territory's richest and poorest residents remains. The NWT Poverty Update states ..."
https://www.myyellowknifenow.com/32550/homelessness-food-insecurity-on-the-rise-in-the-territory/"... Woman 'appalled' by
empty federal housing in Hay River - Federal government spends roughly $4,000 per year to maintain each vacant unit Nov 07, 2018 ..."
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/hay-river-houses-sit-empty-1.4895632"...
No housing assistance for N.W.T. family of 6 living in 1-bedroom suite Jun 07, 2018 ..."
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/housing-corporation-family-assistance-1.4694616"...
Dene Nation 'not happy' with distribution of $600M in funding for on-reserve housing Nov 12, 2018 ..."
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/dene-nation-on-reserve-housing-frustration-1.4898190"...
New housing complex in Aklavik aims to tackle homelessness Dec 11, 2018 4-plex opened last week as part of territorial government's Northern Pathways to Housing program ..."
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/aklavik-supportive-housing-complex-1.4941746"...
New public housing units open in Inuvik Sep. 6th, 2018 In co-operation with the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation (IRC) and support from the federal government's Housing Initiative funds, a public housing six-plex has been developed and is now ready for occupants.
The NWTHC-IRC partnership was formed under a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) as part of the two organizations' commitment to improve housing conditions in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region (ISR) and provide economic development and training opportunities for NWT residents in the ISR.
The NWTHC through its community agent, the Inuvik Housing Authority will begin immediately
filling the units with Public Housing program participants. ..."
https://www.myyellowknifenow.com/32065/32065/"...
N.W.T. Housing Corporation to dispose of 101 public housing units - 'We will end up replacing these units once they are taken off our inventory,' says CEO Jan 11, 2017 The N.W.T. Housing Corporation has 101 empty public housing units it plans to sell or demolish over the next two years — all former rental units that require substantial repairs.
In total, the corporation has 2,400 public housing units across the Northwest Territories and is required to dispose of old stock before it is allowed to build new units.
'We put a unit on the surplus list if it is beyond its economic life and the cost of repairing would be so high that a replacement would provide a better long term value,' says Tom Williams, president and CEO of the N.W.T. Housing Corporation. ..."
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/nwt-housing-corporation-to-dispose-of-housing-units-1.3929272- - - - - -
* As of 2019 the population of the NWT was 44,598."... Bureau of Statistics publishes Northwest Territories population estimates based on figures provided by Statistics Canada. These New stats releases include information on components of population change for the Northwest Territories (births, deaths, and migration) along with population figures for Canada, the Provinces and Territories...."
https://www.statsnwt.ca/population/population-estimates/ "... The Northwest Territories (NWT) is the only jurisdiction in Canada that names nine (9) official Aboriginal languages along side English and French through its Official Languages Act. The Act recognizes that many languages are spoken and used by people of the NWT and is committed to the preservation, development and enhancement of Aboriginal languages.
The NWT Official Languages Act recognizes eleven (11) languages: Chipewyan (Dëne Sųłıné Yatıé), Cree (Nēhiyawēwin), Gwich'in, Inuinnaqtun, Inuktitut, Inuvialuktun, North Slavey (Sahtúǫt'ı̨ne Yatı̨́), South Slavey (Dene Zhatıé), Tłı̨chǫ, French, and English.Of these languages, nine (9) are Aboriginal and belong to three (3) different language families: Dene, Inuit and Algonquian/Cree. ..."
https://www.ece.gov.nt.ca/en/services/secretariat-des-langues-autochtones/official-languages-overview
928 people waiting for public housing in N.W.T., conference hears
