Federal government announces $4.9 million investment for housing in Tulita

The federal government announced Wednesday it will invest $4.9 million in housing in Tulita, N.W.T.

The funds will go towardbuilding eight modular housing units in the community.

Two of the "community-led projects" will be reserved as emergency accommodationfor vulnerable persons in need, the federal government said.The other six units will accommodateelders and others in the community.

The funds will be delivered through the National Housing Co-Investment Fund, which helps with new and revitalization construction of mixed-income, mixed-tenure and mixed-use affordable housing.

Don Smeltzer, interim senior administrative officer in Tulita, said during the news conference that the new units would house up to 16 people, "which is very, very much needed here."

He addedplanning will become clear as the project goes forward, and there may be alterationsalong the way.

The announcement was made in an online news conference by Member of Parliament Michael McLeod on behalf of Ahmed Hussen, minister of Families, Children and Social Development and minister responsible for the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC).

Tulita's mayor, Douglas Yallee, andPaulie Chinna, minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporationand minister responsible for homelessness, were part of the announcement.

"In my community, there's too many people living in one house, overcrowding," Yallee said duringthe news conference."In order to be on the waiting list, that's a long time to wait for housing, for their own home."

"There needs to be more housing to be done. But it's helpful, let's put it that way."

The newly announced funds arepart of the $60 millionearmarked for the N.W.T. from theNHCF, initially announced about two years ago, and meant to be spent on126 affordable housing unitsto address the dire housing needs in the territory.

The housing funds are meant for those"most at-risk,"including women and their children, people with disabilities and seniors.

The territorial government drew criticismfor not touching the funds in the two yearsafter it was initially created. In November, CBCalso reportedsomeIndigenous leaders were surprised to learn that $60 millionin federal funding was available for housing projects in the Northwest Territories.

More community-led projects to be announced

About $25.5 million of that$60 million is meant to beadministered by N.W.T. Housing Corporation, withthe remaining $34.5 million goingtowards supporting Indigenous governments and organizations with six community-led projects. The announcement in Tulita is the first of those six projects to be announced.

"Today's announcement definitely is good news, but the housing needs in the territories are still significant," Chinna said."Only by working together can we address these needs."

McLeod said during the news conference that the nextof the community-led projects will be announced "fairly quick," and the rest "hopefully in short order."

"It's not a simple [application]process. It's fairly lengthy," he said. "All of these communities have provided the information and the necessary documentation to receive the approvals. But it's not an overnight it's taken several months for these communities to receive their approvals."