Nunavut loses 5 public housing units to fire in 3 weeks

The Nunavut Housing Corporation has lost five public housing units to fire in the last three weeks, which its president says is "devastating" for aterritory in a housing crisis.

There's already a longwaitlistfor public housing inNunavut, due to a shortage of housing units. The fires in Rankin Inlet, Pangnirtung, and Pond Inlet have all resulted in families being displaced from their homes.

The housing authority was not able to place any of the families in vacant units after the fires.

• No injuries after fire in Rankin Inlet housing units
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"In the immediate, if they have friends and family they usually end up in those units, which compounds the overcrowding," said TerryAudla, president of the Nunavut Housing Corporation.

"We do try and accommodate for those who've been displaced by units that have burned down, but again communities are so stretched and limited in what they can offer."

When families lose their home to fire, Audlasays they're usually put at the top of the waiting list, but he says that decision is up to the local housing authority, not the NunavutHousing Corporation.

He said where people end up on the waiting list also depends on the results of RCMP investigations.If the family is not at fault for the fire, they're more likely to be put on the top of the list.

TheNunavutHousing Corporation will also conduct its own investigation to determine what will happento the units;Audlabelieves one or twomight be salvageable, but the others are probably not worth renovating.

He says the number of units needed in the territory has remained fairly stable for 10 years. The Nunavut Housing Corp. continues to addnew units roughly in step with the rate of population growth but little has been done to tackle the territory's massive housing shortage overall.

The housing corporation estimates thatthe waiting list for a unit is a few years long in some communities.

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