Yukon to spend last of Housing Trust money, 9 years later

The Yukon government is spending more than $6 million to improve access to affordable housing — nine years after it received that money from Ottawa.

The $6.3 million represents the last of the money allocated to Yukon under the Northern Housing Trust. The territory received $50 million in 2006, most of it going to First Nations for priority housing needs. A total of $17.5 million went to the territorial government.

The last money is going towards four initiatives, the government announced on Wednesday:

• $3.5 million to be spent over two years on incentives to increase the supply of rental housing in municipalities;
• $800,000 over two years on grants to landlords or homeowners who want to build secondary suites;
• $800,000 over two years on grants to improve accessibility in rental units;
• $1 million over four years on rental housing allowances for families. 

The government also announced $1 million to be spent over four years on a rent supplement program for social housing tenants. That money is not part of the funds allocated under the Northern Housing Trust.

'It's about time'

Kristina Craig of the Yukon Anti-poverty Coalition welcomes the spending, but she's also frustrated.

"You know, it's about time," Craig says. "The fact that it's taken 9 years to actually spend the whole amount of the funding is disappointing."

Still, Craig calls the new initiatives "quite positive."

"Housing is tight everywhere and so anything that's going to help support municipalities and community members help find more options is a good thing," she says.

But, she says, "there is still a need for more housing stock."

The NDP's Kate White has concerns about the grants aimed at helping landlords enhance their properties with secondary suites.

"If someone has a substandard rental unit now and they access this money and do a lot of work on it, how much are they going to charge after the work is done?" White asked.