'Honest mistake' corrected by Yk housing
Tenant points out newsletter used old information on income declarations
John McFadden
Northern News Services
Friday, March 11, 2016
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
The Yellowknife Housing Authority has issued a correction to its recent newsletter after a tenant pointed out an error on how social housing tenants are now required to report their income.
George Lessard, a Yellowknife resident who lives in a government subsidized housing unit, reads a newsletter from the Yellowknife Housing Authority. Lessard pointed out incorrect information regarding incomes declarations in the newsletter. A correction has since been issued. - John McFadden/NNSL photo |
"In the newsletter (released earlier this month) we reported that tenants must report their incomes on a monthly basis," stated Bob Bies, chief executive officer of the housing authority, in the correction delivered to tenants. "This was an honest mistake made by me where I simply forgot to change the wording from the last newsletter. I regret any inconvenience this may have caused."
Bies pointed out that the rules for reporting income changed last June.
"Prior to June 2015, we assessed income monthly using recent pay stubs. However, since June 2015, (Yellowknife Housing Authority) has been assessing income annually - not monthly - based on the total income information on tax returns from the Canada Revenue Agency," Bies stated in the correction.
"We fully support this approach since it will reduce the burden of monthly reporting for tenants. In cases where a household has fluctuating income, the household may elect to have their rent assessed monthly."
Bies said that a document with the corrected information went out to all housing authority clients immediately.
"This was all on me. We sent it out - I didn't read it closely enough," Bies said. "It was an oversight."
The mistake in the original newsletter was brought to the attention of politicians and media by Yellowknife resident George Lessard, a relatively new housing authority client.
"I'm thinking of those folks who don't speak English well who read that and are suddenly scared. If you live in public housing you may not have access to the Internet and you may have to go to the bank to get a statement. Think of a single mother who has read that and doesn't know its a mistake. She is scared that she is going to lose her housing."
Lessard said that he does accept that it was an honest mistake but pointed out that it doesn't seem to be a two-way street. He mentioned a recent media story about a Yellowknife woman who made a mistake on her application for income assistance and was reportedly denied help because of her mistake.
Her problem was actually with the Department of Education, Culture and Employment but Lessard said the government's attitude toward people who need assistance permeates through different departments.
Bies wholeheartedly disagrees with Lessard's opinion and said he cannot speak for other government departments but stands by the way his people operate.
"We are compassionate. We give people countless chances to turn their life around and we're always counselling people," Bies said.
"Maybe he knows some stories that I'm not aware of but we understand that applicants are having a tough life and try to help."
The Yellowknife Housing Authority, which operates under the territorial government's NWT Housing Corporation, has 347 units in the city.
