Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, housing is a human right. Many in this Assembly are working hard to uphold this right but face a housing stock and housing repair deficit in their communities and unnecessary policy barriers to access housing.
Mr. Speaker, I speak often about policy barriers in this House. They don't always require millions of dollars and they have the potential for great change. Removing policy barriers requires political will, the ability to weigh the unintended consequences with the original goal, and the creativity to find solutions. Policy changes, Mr. Speaker, will open doors to alternative housing solutions that work.
The Spruce Bough, operated by the Yellowknife Women's Society, is a breakthrough example of an alternative housing solution. It started as a place for people to isolate but evolved into a community of Northerners from across the North, many seniors who now call Spruce Bough home. The Minister of Health and Social Services has herself stated that the Yellowknife Women's Society is running great programming at the Spruce Bough and that their work not only provides housing but also supports the healing journeys of residents.
To continue operations, alternative housing solutions like the Spruce Bough require stable, consistent, multiyear funding. Policy changes are needed to bulk fund the income assistance rental benefit to NGOs that provide alternative housing solutions.
Currently, tenants receive their housing benefits with income assistance on an individual basis in separate intervals without alternative solution. This means inconsistent and unstable funding for programs like Spruce Bough and jeopardizes the future of solutions like this expanding outside of Yellowknife.
But bulk funding policies aren't the government's barrier to alternative housing. The rent benefit requires people to have their names on the public housing waitlist. First residents need to go to the Housing Corporation to add their name to this waitlist. Second, many Northerners are unable to do this because of arrears and past evictions so either people need a grace period to get their name on the list while they are still moving their rent benefit application forward or, better yet, stop forcing Northerners onto a housing waitlist when the government knows there is not enough housing. This policy is clearly based on an assumption of available public housing but we all know housing Northerners is reliant on partnerships, market rentals, and housing alternative.
Mr. Speaker, the need for housing is too great and too urgent to pass on any and all policy interventions that can make a difference. Thank you.