TTHENAAGO/NAHANNI BUTTE - Two three-bedroom houses by the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation are nearing completion in Nahanni Butte but a local leader said it isn't enough.

The final touches are being put on the two units constructed this summer and the houses are expected to be allocated to clients under the corporation's homeowner entry level program this fall.

Seen in May, this three-bedroom house is one of two Northwest Territories Housing Corporation units that are nearing completion in Nahanni Butte. - photo courtesy of the NWT Housing Corporation

Staff at the corporation's Nahendeh office were excited to see the houses built after a number of issues, including problems obtaining suitable lots, prevented projects in the community for approximately four years, said Chris Hewitt, the corporation's district director.

In Nahanni Butte, however, Chief Fred Tesou said the units aren't enough to address the housing shortages in the community.

"It's a big issue," he said. "It's all over the North. There's always a shortage of housing."

Tesou said a number of young adults have had to move out of the community because they've been unable to find housing. Tesou would like to see the Housing Corporation build a duplex in the community for the younger population segment.

In addition to the housing shortage many residents are facing problems with their current units. Because of the construction methods used the foundations have shifted causing problems in the houses, said Tesou.

Tesou said the Nahanni Butte Dene Band's development arm, the Tthenaago Development Corporation, was offered a contract by the corporation to do repairs but declined because foundation work wasn't included. The foundations need to be fixed first or it's no good doing work on the rest of the house, he said.

In order for houses to be built in communities like Nahanni Butte residents have to apply for the corporation's programs, said Hewitt.

"We have been working with the community to better understand the housing needs and will continue to do that into the next intake," he said.

During the yearly application intake period everyone who's interested in a program needs to apply to determine their eligibility. The annual applications are one of the indicators the corporation uses when doing capital planning and deciding where to build the units the district has funding for, Hewitt said. This year's application period will take place from Sept. 1 to Oct. 15.

The corporation also uses the NWT Bureau of Statistics' community survey that is conducted every five years to identify the number of households in each community that are in a core need situation. Community consultation is also taken into account.

The region is small enough to allow the staff to know the communities and the clients very well, said Hewitt.

"We don't want to build units where we don't have eligible clients," he said.

The information from all of the sources is gathered together to form a picture of which communities are in need. Each year's applications are used to update the priorities.

The corporation has already slated one unit to be built in Nahanni Butte next year based on the intake for 2010. Hewitt said.

The corporation is building a total of four units this year including the two in Nahanni Butte and another two in Fort Simpson. Two units in Trout Lake and one in Fort Simpson started last year are also expected to reach completion this fall. Four is an average number for a year, said Hewitt. All of the units will be allocated to clients under the corporation's homeowner entry level program.

Although units are being built the Nahendeh office's main focus this year has been on assisting client repairs and preventative maintenance under the contributing assistance for repairs and enhancements program. A total of 42 clients in four communities are conducting repairs under the program this season and more tenders are expected to go out before the end of the construction season, Hewitt said.

"We're quite pleased with the number of units under repair," he said.

The repairs show that improvements are being made to housing but the corporation is aware more needs to be done, Hewitt said.

Eight clients are waiting for repairs in Nahanni Butte. A tender for the repairs has been advertised for the past two construction seasons but it hasn't been awarded due to a number of issues.

The tender is being released again this fall for a third time with a new scope Hewitt hopes will address the community's interests.

"We definitely hope this contract will improve the housing conditions for some of the home owners," he said.

Hewitt said the corporation's technical staff is aware of some of the problems with foundations in Nahanni Butte.

The staff is challenged with the repairs to work within the clients' budgets which could be limited. Health and safety components are considered first followed by structural issues and energy efficiency.

Hewitt stressed that in order for repairs to be done and for communities to be considered for new units all potential clients have to apply for the programs during the application period.

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