Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, homelessness has become a big issue across Canada and we are not immune here in the North. I think it is becoming more and more apparent to the casual observer walking through downtown Yellowknife that we have a growing problem. If you talk to the non-government organizations involved, the situation has indeed become critical.
Over the summer, Members may have heard a concern about emergency family housing and a request from the YWCA to have the Housing Corporation fund some additional units in Yellowknife. I would like to thank Minister Allen and the Housing Corporation for recently signing a contract with the YWCA for ongoing funding for an additional three emergency family housing units.
It is really important, Mr. Speaker, to hear the word "ongoing" in there because this is not just a one-year agreement. It is an ongoing agreement. For NGOs, that is the most critical issue. It is more critical, in some cases, than getting the amount of money that they asked for in the first place.
Mr. Speaker, I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate the non-government organizations of Yellowknife and their partners in government who have been working together as the Homelessness Coalition and who have developed the Yellowknife Community Plan to Address Homelessness.
The coalition is made up of a broad cross-section of NGOs and government agencies. This type of cooperative effort is remarkable. It should be recognized and encouraged.
I am happy to see that some government departments have joined the initial small group to work together. It is only with this kind of coordinated approach that our resources are maximized to find real solutions to the homeless situation.
Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories needs to ensure a higher level of participation and more cross-departmental cooperation. Like other governments in Canada, we need to recognize the problem of homelessness and how it is growing. It has become so serious that I think we need to take a look at making a Minister responsible for homelessness in the Northwest Territories.
Mr. Speaker, later today I will take this opportunity to table the Yellowknife Community Plan to Address Homelessness, as developed by the Homelessness Coalition, dated July 1, 2001. The document was developed following extensive community consultation and research. The plan consists of three primary components: first, community planning, capacity building and research; two, programs and services for the homeless; and three, housing capital projects.
Mr. Speaker, it is important to note that the federal government has agreed to fund this program over a three-year period but that three-year period is almost half finished.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.