Changes to policies will make housing repairs more accessible for seniors.
Housing minister Paulie Chinna made amendments to the existing housing repair for seniors policy, removing the requirements for home insurance, formal land tenure, and will now only assess the incomes of seniors who own their homes.
These changes don’t apply to residents of Fort Simpson, Fort Smith, Hay River, Inuvik, Norman Wells and Yellowknife, who will still be required to have insurance and land tenure.
“Programming for seniors is an utmost priority for this government, we are always looking at ways to improve our programs and make them more accessible to residents of the NWT,” Paulie Chinna, Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation and Addressing Homelessness said in a statement.
In the past, assessments included the incomes of all income earners in the household. Under these changes, the assessment of household income will only consider the income of the applicant and co-applicant.
“These changes will put an end to situations where seniors cannot access assistance for repairs in smaller communities and allow them to remain in their homes and communities, where they are surrounded by the support of their families and friends.”
Seniors have a particularly hard time staying connected with their communities, because housing issues often impact them, forcing them to move from the community.
Addressing that is one of the items in the 19th Legislative Assembly’s Mandate.
Additionally, in rural communities it can be challenging to get home insurance and land tenure, according to a statement from the GNWT.
