Lucy Kuptana

Thank you, Madam Chair. I think it's important when we are at the FPT table just to make the case for the North. We talk about remoteness. We talk about cost of repairing units. We talk about many of the communities that are spread out throughout the Northwest Territories and how getting to them and providing that repair and maintenance is so critical to the everyday operations of housing. So at the FPT table, we have all our partners at the table, including the provinces and the territories. And especially in the North, with our partners in Nunavut and Yukon, we always add the northern remote...

Thank you, Madam Chair. And I find this, again, throughout the Northwest Territories, where sometimes we have -- we issue RFPs and they're delayed, depending on the contractor or the contractor's schedule or who's available with contractors and local community to do the work. So sometimes things are delayed. One thing we are finding, especially in the Tlicho region and also in the Gwich'in settlement area, is working with our MOU with the Indigenous government. We have a conversation, say this is delayed, could your development corporation take this on to get this senior's home repair...

Thank you, Madam Chair. The fund is fully subscribed. And what we're doing is Housing NWT is actually having conversations with our other sister departments about apprenticeships and trade opportunities and labour market development within community because, truly, like, with the projects that are coming on stream, that we really need local capacity so we're encouraging apprenticeships. And also apprenticeships is part of the terms and conditions with our projects within community. Like, if we're putting out an RFP for a housing build within community, that company needs to add some...

Thank you, Madam Chair. Housing NWT will take on the operations of the Yellowknife day shelter and also the sobering centre. So we're taking that on April 1st, and that includes 30 staffing positions for the two facilities. We're also -- we've added five positions for the new homelessness programs division. So five positions, which include a manager, advisor, an advisor in Hay River, an advisor in Inuvik, and also the director of homelessness programs. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Madam Chair, yes, I've asked Housing NWT to consider those outside the regional centres for the down payment assistance program. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Madam Chair. And I think that's throughout the Northwest Territories, is the LHOs are faced with an aging housing stock and they're trying to keep up, especially with the preventative maintenance side of managing the housing stock within community. And many times, LHOs won't be able to find the part for either the furnace because it's so old or, you know, another part of the system within the housing unit. But in terms of the allocation itself and how we allocate those funds throughout the Northwest Territories with our 24 housing associations, President Kelly could provide more...

Thank you, Madam Chair. With the down payment program, that's usually offered in our regional centres, and Housing NWT right now is doing a review of the programs to look at the eligibility to include those outside the larger regional centres because we are getting many questions throughout the Northwest Territories of interested -- mainly young people that want to have -- want to buy their own home, and if housing is kind of exiting, like the HELP program and other programs in our smaller communities, they want to put a down payment on a unit themselves. So housing is looking at that right...

Thank you, Madam Chair. I think that tomorrow's announcement on the territorial housing needs assessment is going to give us a clear indication of the housing needs across the North, and it's across the North. Especially, you look at our waitlist, but it's going to provide more data on the need for housing across the North and throughout the Northwest Territories. Because we know, every one of us knows, especially as MLAs, you know, the need, the number of BFs that come in, the people that are couch surfing, the suppressed households. This is -- it's going to be -- when I looked at the report...

Thank you, Madam Chair. President Kelly will provide an exact information on how many units. I do know with the $150 million fund that 152 units will be provided, along with $30 million for M&I projects and preventative maintenance, deferred maintenance that has been deferred over the many years. So we put $30 million aside, and then $120 million was the 152 units that will be built over the life of this Assembly. And more information will be either President Kelly or the associate. Okay, Mr. Saturnino will provide the exact number. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Just to clarify, if they had arrears with the HELP program or overall arrears with the public housing program? Thank you, Madam Chair.