Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in March of last year, I brought up the urgency of housing and the housing crisis in Nunakput. Since then, I've had more concerns from my constituents regarding the state of housing in the communities. There are no market housing in the communities in Nunakput, and the NWT Housing Corporation does not have enough houses to address the issues. The lack of housing we have in the public housing.
Public housing units in Nunakput are ageing, Mr. Speaker. Houses are that we have built in 1970 and the '80s now need retrofits. I'm getting messages about needing new windows because when a certain wind blows, it's blowing snow right into the unit now. We need new windows and doors. In Paulatuk, I got a call from the mayor saying that he was at his daughter's house one night and he could almost -- he had to put blankets on the floors for them to walk in because it's so cold.
So the overcrowding, again, Mr. Speaker, with that needs is a big issue in my riding, especially with everything happening with COVID and the pandemic. Overcrowding in the houses is extra stress, frustration, making an already severe crisis and addictions and mental health and challenges make worse for families being overcrowded. There's still a lack of single units in each community. How young people are supposed to return to home to their communities and start families or just come home to live and work? Some people have to live in overcrowded shacks as they have been evicted and are waiting for housing, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, the local housing organizations are doing their best with what limited resources that they have, but -- I'm grateful for the work that they do, but we require additional support from the NWT Housing Corporation. We need to work together with the Minister, Mr. Speaker, for the small communities outside of Yellowknife. We need to -- she needs to see this firsthand, understand the urgency of the situation that we're in in my riding.
Mr. Speaker, I will have questions for the Minister later today. Thank you.