Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. [English translation not provided.]
I would like to talk about public housing and the difficulties that tenants are having once they find employment.
In the communities of Tu Nedhe, as I’m sure is the case in other communities, the issue of public housing tenants getting a job and having their rent increased -- in some cases substantially -- continues to be a big problem. More times than not the tenants will work for a while and determine that they cannot afford rent. Then they are quitting their jobs and have no way of catching up with their arrears which have accumulated during the time that they were working. In many cases this employment is the first employment that tenants have had in years. However, once a new rent is calculated and additional expenses related to work and child care expenses, the tenants can no longer afford to remain working.
I believe that the incorporation of a six-month grace period where the rent of the tenants when they go to work does not change for six months would go a long way to keeping them employed and would give the people an opportunity to become homeowners. However, this will only work if the NWT Housing Corporation staff immediately begin to work with the tenants and start the process of counselling the tenants towards becoming a homeowner. In small non-market communities there is not an abundance of houses available on the market. In most cases the tenants would buy NWT Housing Corporation owned units.
Once a tenant becomes a homeowner the government would no longer be required to provide income support to these tenants. This will create or enhance local housing markets in communities and there could also be more revenue to the GNWT through the sale of public housing units. And this will also reduce the cost of overall O and M of the Public Housing Program.
This government should do all they can to encourage people to work and get off income support, which is provided by the government. Ultimately this six-month grace period would have long-term benefits for both the communities and the GNWT.
Later I will have questions for the appropriate Minister.