Jennifer Geens
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Sep 28/05) - Here's the story... he has six kids, she has three. They were married once, but divorced 10 years ago. Now they want to move in together - all 11 of them.

It may sound like the set-up for a 1970s sitcom, but there's no laughtrack for Roxanne Blandin and Cliff Digness.

The North Slave Housing Corporation denied Blandin's request to allow Digness and his six kids to move into the three bedroom house Blandin lives in with their three kids.

Digness and his six children live in a four bedroom row house owned by the Yellowknife Housing Authority.

Digness is the biological father of three of the six children, and is in the process of adopting the older three. Their mother, Digness' second wife, died in January.

Since January, Blandin and daughter Tiffany have spent time looking after the six children. Eventually, Digness and Blandin decided it made sense to re-unite the family.

"The kids are all related and all we want to do is give them one stable home," said Blandin.

North Slave Housing Corporation's board of directors told Blandin in a letter that they didn't have funds for extraordinary renovations to accommodate the large family. They encouraged Blandin and Digness to apply to the NWT Housing Corporation's home ownership program.

Blandin appealed the decision in July. She got an estimate on the new window required by the fire code to allow the basement to be used as a sleeping area, and offered to pay for the replacement out of her own pocket.

Last week the board denied Blandin's appeal. The corporation is now questioning her Metis status. Blandin, who has aboriginal status through the Canadian Metis Council, has 30 days to have her NWT health card changed to note her aboriginal status or she'll lose her eligibility for housing through the corporation.

The North Slave Housing Corporation would not discuss the family's case with Yellowknifer, citing their client confidentiality rules.

Blandin said she has lived in the house for six years and doesn't want to leave her home.

The family's alternatives are limited. Where the house has two bathrooms, a full basement and front and back yards, the four bedroom rowhouse has only one bathroom.

Digness said renting a four bedroom house in Yellowknife would cost at least $2,000 a month, and their household bills would bring costs up to $3,000 a month or more.

"I don't even make that much," said Digness.

The cost of maintaining two households, with two sets of bills and two sets of grocery staples may drive them out of the Territories.

"The way things are going, we have talked about moving down south where we could get affordable housing," said Digness.