The Office of the Auditor General of Canada has released a report calling on Housing NWT to address chronic housing issues, including the urgent need for affordable housing, the need for better housing conditions and more equitable access to housing programs.
In a press conference held yesterday at the Legislative Assembly in the city of Yellowknife, Paule-Anny Pierre, senior assistant auditor general said she is “disappointed” by the findings of the review.
The Auditor General’s report criticized the territorial government for what they said is a lack of equitable access to affordable housing and supports. The report, released publicly yesterday evening, was also critical of living conditions at public housing units.
Pierre said that Housing NWT and the territorial government are responsible for the concerns raised in the report. The auditor also pointed out that a number of the concerns were outlined in previous auditor general reports going back almost two decades.
Among Housing NWT’s responsibilities is ensuring equitable and affordable housing, which includes overseeing over 2,000 public housing units in the territory.
At the press conference, Minister Lucy Kuptana spoke about the concerns that were raised by the Auditor General’s report, which assesses housing programs in the territory from April 2023 to March 31 of this year.
“The auditor general found that Housing NWT needs to improve how we monitor housing allocations, maintain our units and support home ownership programs. We’ve accepted all recommendations.”
Minister Kuptana said that Housing NWT has already been working towards implementing changes to how it delivers and implements its programs.
“In 2021, Housing NWT began by making foundational changes through its renewal strategy. We’ve already completed 31 out of 42 in our renewal strategy, including removing barriers to housing, programs, and improving housing maintenance, but we know there’s more work to do. I intend to continue to deliver real change for the residents of the Northwest Terraform and here is what you can expect from us. We’re strengthening oversight to update policies, improve tracking systems and more training for staff to ensure fair and consistent fair, and consistent housing allocations.”
Minister Kuptana added that the organization is also in the process of reviewing its structure.
“We’re reviewing the structure of local housing organizations to strengthen governance and explore best practixes.”
She said this includes more frequent reviews and evaluations as well as a better tracking system for housing repairs and maintenance.
“We’re improving maintenance tracking through better systems to monitor and manage housing repairs so our units stay safe and livable. We’re also strengthening oversight through our modernized community housing services agreement with local housing organizations, that will formalize maintenance reporting and set clear performance measures.”
Minister Kuptana said that Housing NWT is working with the federal government to help address the territory’s housing needs.
“We’re building stronger partnerships with the federal government to help address the complex housing challenges facing the North.”
The Auditor General reported that there were over 3,000 people from over 900 households who were on the public housing waitlist during this period.
The report criticized Housing NWT’s monitoring of the point-rating system that is used to allocate public housing. The system is used to allocate affordable housing for households on the waitlist.
The Auditor General reported that Housing NWT did not proactively oversee how its local chapters were implementing the system in an equitable way.
The audit also criticized Housing NWT for not submitting annual assessments regarding the local chapters it oversees.
Another major criticism was around Housing NWT’s management of the conditions at the public housing units.
Housing NWT is responsible to assess public housing units every two years. According to the auditor’s report, Housing NWT did not follow through with its responsibility to ensure that the assessments were being done.
According to the auditor’s report, Housing NWT did not provide equitable access to its home purchase programs, emergency repairs and accessibility modifications programs.
The auditor general made a number of recommendations in response to the findings.
Minister Kuptana said that the organization plans to follow the recommendations but will need more resources.
“We recognize that the GNWT and Housing NWT cannot tackle this crisis alone. We need long-term sustainable federal funding to make a lasting difference for housing in the Northwest Territories. We will continue to work closely with our federal partners towards the goal.”
Minister Kuptana pointed out that across the North, problems with housing persist as reports by the auditor general have “highlighted similar challenges” in places like Nunavut.
The minister said that the pattern points to issues of “chronic underfunding” and “ageing social housing infrastructure” across the North and across the country.
“I have seen the state of Housing and communities across the Northwest Territories, and fully acknowledge the need for change and how we operate, maintain and fund social housing in the Northwest Territories,” said Minister Kuptana.
The minister continued to emphasize that change is needed in the housing situation for the territory.
“Housing is about the health, safety and well-being of Northern residents. That’s what guides me and that’s what will guide our work moving forward.”
