Marsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to speak about the core housing needs across the Northwest Territories. At this time, over two years into this government, there is no territorial-wide housing plan that addresses the core need reduction plan on a community-by-community basis.
Mr. Speaker, I have risen in this House many times urging our government to create a housing development plan that is pertinent to each of our 33 communities and is comprehensive enough to identify the exact types of core needs that are most pertinent within each community. A thorough plan can better inform the government on how to address core housing needs in each community.
Mr. Speaker, a housing development plan is needed to cost out each community's housing needs. For example, Mr. Speaker, a family of six may currently be living in a two-bedroom unit; however, their needs warrant a three- or four-bedroom unit. The housing plan would tell us whether to build a new house or add on to the current unit. Mr. Speaker, one solution would cost in excess of $300,000, while the other could be under $100,000.
On the contrary, Mr. Speaker, a family may have enough bedrooms, but may need repairs that could range from $10,000 to $100,000. In another case, Mr. Speaker, a core need may be affordability, and perhaps a family could be provided with a monthly subsidy of $300 to $1,000 per month, thereby removing that family from core need for just $3,600 to $12,000 per year.
Mr. Speaker, the housing development plan, or whatever the government chooses to call it, is a plan that would work actively to address core needs of housing on a community-specific basis. According to the NWT Bureau of Statistics Community Survey, in my riding of Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh, the core needs of total households range from a low of 24.9 per cent in Fort Resolution to a high of 37.2 per cent in Detah.
Mr. Speaker, the NWT Housing Corporation must begin discussions with communities and Indigenous governments to address these issues. I believe that the NWT Housing Corporation must begin to fund these governments directly in order to achieve the best results regarding the reduction of core needs within these communities. Marsi cho, Mr. Speaker.