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Nunavut Housing Corporation is a public agency established in 1999
to create, coordinate, and administer housing programs that
provide families and individuals in Nunavut with fair access
to a range of affordable housing options. The Corporation's
Public Housing Program annually spends more than $120 million,
75 percent of NHC's operating budget, and has a portfolio
of more than 4,000 units. Through agreements with the
Corporation, 25 community partners are responsible for
managing unit allocations, rental assessments and collections,
and maintenance and repairs.
In 2006,
the federal government provided the Government of Nunavut with
$200 million to increase the number of available and
affordable housing units in Nunavut. This key investment,
known as the Nunavut Housing Trust, will be used to build
about 725 new public housing units in the 25 Nunavut
communities.
We examined
whether the Corporation manages the delivery of the Public
Housing Program appropriately and ensures that its community
partners comply with its policies and the terms of its
agreements. We examined the Corporation's delivery of new
public housing units in Nunavut to determine whether the
Corporation planned and delivered those units according to the
Nunavut Housing Trust Delivery Strategy and the Northern
Housing Trust Agreement. We also examined whether the
Corporation has appropriate governance practices to promote
good management and whether it reports adequately on its
results.
Why it's
important
Nunavut faces
unique housing challenges, with a northern climate, a
geographic area encompassing one fifth of Canada's landmass,
and a scattered population of around 29,000 residents who
live in 25 remote communities accessible only by air or
sea. Public housing units, which are managed by the
Corporation, account for more than 50 percent of all
dwellings in Nunavut.
Good
maintenance of existing public housing and the construction of
new units under the Nunavut Housing Trust are
necessities, given the overcrowding situation in Nunavut
and a population that increased by 10 percent from 2001
to 2006. According to Statistics Canada's 2006 Census,
dwellings with more than one person per room (a strong
indicator of overcrowding) account for 18 percent of all
dwellings in Nunavut, compared with the Canadian average of
1.5 percent. Inadequate and overcrowded housing can
contribute to social problems, such as domestic violence, and
health problems such as respiratory diseases. Providing more
homes and improving the condition of existing homes are
crucial steps in beginning to address social problems faced by
children and families.
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