Housing NWT says work to revamp the territorial agency is nearly complete and will be finished before the end of the current legislative assembly.
In an interim report published on Wednesday, the agency said 31 of 42 actions outlined in a renewal strategy from October 2021 are now complete. Eight are still in progress while three require ongoing work.
The strategy stemmed from criticism during the last legislative assembly that housing projects were moving too slowly and not enough progress was being made to improve the housing crisis.
Completed items from the strategy include:
- revising the agency’s termination and eviction policy with a focus on educating tenants on their rights and obligations;
- developing an energy management strategy that aligns with the GNWT’s climate change strategic framework; and
- banning smoking in Housing NWT units.
Work still in progress includes updating the rent scale for public housing tenants and the income threshold that determines eligibility for public housing. Those updates are expected to be implemented by July 2026.
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In May, Housing NWT announced an increase to market-rate housing across the territory. A spokesperson for the agency said no changes were planned to public housing rents at the time.
“Housing NWT’s Renewal Strategy has been guided by the voices of NWT residents, Indigenous governments and community leaders, reflecting our commitment to listening and ensuring that we are doing everything we can to find places for people to call home,” housing minister Lucy Kuptana was quoted as saying in a Wednesday news release.
Earlier this month, Housing NWT announced it will build 98 new public housing units across the territory.
