Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’ve outlined on several occasions in the past that under some of the new programs, seniors are eligible for more funding. Under the old Senior Citizens Home Repair they were eligible for up to $20,000 in funding. The funding we have nowadays is based on income, so a lot of seniors that qualify have very low incomes, so they quality for higher amounts of assistance. Then under the Preventative Maintenance Program the seniors are eligible for up to $2,000 each year.
Under the priority allocation and selection system, seniors and disabled persons receive extra points, so obviously they’re given priority ranking. Under the old program, forgiveness was fixed at 10 years and under the CARE program it’s between one and 10 years, depending on the amount of money received. So under the old program you had to wait 10 years before you were eligible to apply again. Under the new program, depending on how long, up to three years you could possibly apply for programs, so that would allow more work to be done on your unit.
In 2010, Mr. Speaker, there was 191 CARE applicants that were approved across the Northwest Territories; 136, or 71 percent of those, were seniors. Under the Preventative Maintenance Program 94 applicants were approved. Of those 94, 86, or 90 percent of those, were seniors. So that obviously shows that we recognize the importance of seniors and we respect our seniors and we treat them the way they should be treated.
Mr. Speaker, we also deliver some programs that are funded by CMHC that seniors can take advantage of. There’s the Emergency Repair Program. It provides up to $11,000 in assistance to
low-income homeowners to undertake emergency repairs. We have the Home Adaptation for Seniors Independence Program that we deliver on behalf of CMHC, and it allows homeowners and landlords to pay for minor home adaptations to enable low-income seniors to live independently in their homes. There’s also the Residential Rehabilitation Assistance Program for homeowners. It provides financial assistance to low-income homeowners who own and occupy their house, in order to enable them to make some repairs to their house to meet a minimal level of health and safety.
However, Mr. Speaker, having said all that, we recognize that it may be beneficial if there are programs targeted specifically at seniors, and in recognition of this I have directed the officials at the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation to take some steps in advance of our next intake period, which is coming up next September, and we plan on introducing a targeted intake process for seniors that apply for all Housing Choices programs, including opportunities for seniors in each community to meet with district staff and be made aware of all the housing situations that are available to them. We want to implement a targeted communications strategy for seniors so they’re aware of all the programs that are available to seniors. We can allocate a portion of funding under CARE to seniors home repair as well as the Preventative Maintenance Program, and I think that’s one of the things that this motion speaks to. I think in taking these steps, we can increase the awareness of seniors of some of the programs that are made available to them and the enhanced benefits they can receive under our new program.
As well, as all Members know, Housing Choices is undergoing a full evaluation of all the programs that we offer. We see this as a way of providing an improved understanding of how the NWT Housing Corporation can better serve all residents, seniors included, and make some possible adjustments as need be.
Because, Mr. Speaker, this is a recommendation to Cabinet, we will be abstaining from the vote. Thank you.