The Government of Canada recently announced that they will be providing some substantial report to the housing needs of the Northwest Territories.
To help build, maintain, and repair up to 337 homes and sleep quarters across the North, the federal government is providing an investment of $22 million dollars that will be divided up into different programs in NWT communities.
Of the different funding routes, $18.5 million will go towards 124 residential units at the Northern United Place in Yellowknife, $825,000 will go through the Affordable Housing Fund to help repair 55 homes in Indigenous communities, $120,000 will be spent on repairing eight homes in the Pehdzeh Ki First Nation, and $2.6 million will go through the Housing Accelerator Fund to kickstart the construction of a total of 202 homes in Fort Smith over the next ten years.
Michael McLeod, the Member of Parliament for the Northwest Territories, helped to make the announcement on behalf of The Honourable Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, the Minister of Housing, Infrastructure, and Communities. McLeod said that this investment “will go a long way in providing stable housing and shelter space for our most vulnerable community members. These homes will provide energy efficiency, accessibility, and affordability. We are proud to partner with the Government of the Northwest Territories government, First Nations, and housing providers to ensure our local communities are having their needs met.”
Lucy Kuptana, the Minister Responsible for Housing in the Northwest Territories, also spoke on the announcement, saying that housing in the North comes with unique challenges, and that this investment will allow families and communities to stay together.
