New public housing units in Behchokǫ̀, N.W.T. expected to welcome tenants next month

The long public housing waiting list in Behchokǫ̀, N.W.T. is expected to get a little shorter next month, as multiple units will soon welcome tenants. 

The community has three new buildings, with each designed to accomodate a different group in need of housing. One duplex, which includes two bachelor units, is for single people. Another duplex with two two-bedroom units is for seniors. A third building with two multi-bedroom units will be for families. 

CBC News joined for a tour of the three new buildings.

Monfwi MLA Jane Weyallon Armstrong said she's happy to see the units so close to welcoming tenants, but more are needed.

"Right now, we're in crisis, we need more houses, not just in Behchokǫ̀, but in Whatì, Gamètì and Wekweètì as well," she said. 

The units will go to those at the top of the public housing waiting list, a list that is determined through a point-based system. 

"People who apply, it depends on what situation they are in," said Lillian Erasmus, the housing manager for Behchokǫ̀ Ko Gha K'aodee, the local public housing authority.

She said the community's waiting list, which includes somewhere around 160 to 180 people — or 135 families, according to the N.W.T. housing minister — has been growing in recent years. 

"Young adults are getting of age, so they want to move out of their families house," Erasmus said. 

For the seniors' units, Bronwyn Rorke, Manager Capital Planning and Design with Housing NWT, said seniors were engaged to provide feedback that could be incorporated in the design of the building.

"Making sure that the kitchens were large, making sure that there's storage space because seniors kind of struggle to do constant kind of shopping," she said. 

These units were also designed with enough space to accommodate ramps in case the tenant is in need of a wheelchair.

Territorial Housing Minister Lucy Kuptana says the seniors and the bachelor units were a collaboration between Housing NWT and the Tłı̨chǫ Investment Corporation. 

"Anytime there's development in the region, we reach out and see if there's any opportunities to partner and look at development opportunities within the community," she said.