Yukon government publishes work plan on housing

Interested parties, including nonprofits and private companies, have asked for a seat at the Yukon government’s decision-making table on housing, according to a new work plan.

“There is general agreement that this will support evidence-based decisions between governments and housing providers and support collaborative relationships,” the work plan reads.

The Yukon government released the work plan on December 15.

It comes in response to the Canadian Auditor’s Office’s damning May 2022 report, which found that Yukon Housing Corporation and the Department of Health and Human Services were failing to meet the needs of vulnerable Yukoners given longstanding problems in the Yukon housing system.

The report follows a 2010 audit on housing and a 2011 audit on health services and programs. The report did not include the state of the private rental market and home ownership in the Yukon.

“The work plan will help support housing solutions and improve the way Yukon Housing Corporation can serve the needs of Yukoners,” said Ranj Pillai, the minister in charge of Yukon Housing Corporation, in the press release.

“I look forward to continuing to work with our housing partners in implementing the measures and providing homes to Yukoners in need.”

The company and division’s October 2022 housing summit, questionnaires to organizations, and meetings with Yukon First Nations were used to examine the Auditor General’s nine recommendations. The result is 36 action points in the work plan.

Housing partners who have participated in the engagement process include banks, consultants, housing developers, members of the Reaching Home Community Advisory Board, Yukon communities, non-governmental service providers, Yukon First Nations, and federal agencies, including Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, in the work plan.

Modifying the prioritization system and eligibility requirements, conducting an in-depth analysis of eligibility and subsequent waitlisting to better understand demand for the Company’s income-based rental program, and evaluating the community housing framework that incorporates data from housing partners are listed as three key policy areas to address in the Work plan to be edited.

The work plan notes that there was a “rich discussion” at the housing summit about the role of hotels and motels. It indicates a recommendation to review the use of hotels as temporary accommodation and to take appropriate measures to meet the needs of customers. The action to be taken includes conducting a needs analysis for housing with services using population-level data and real-time program data.

The Yukon government has begun establishing community housing to replace the “previously outdated service model” of public housing, according to the work plan.

Most timelines for completion of the actions are ongoing or sometime between spring 2022 and late 2024, with the exception of one that has yet to be determined.

According to the work plan, by winter 2023 there will be a timeline for evaluating programs that have not been evaluated recently, such as B. The Whitehorse Emergency Shelter, recently donated by the Yukon government to Connective and the Council of Yukon First Nations.

“Housing is a social determinant of health, and this plan will guide our efforts to ensure all Yukoners and their families have access to safe and appropriate places to call home,” said Secretary of State Tracy-Anne McPhee Health and Human Services, in the press release.

The Company’s annual report for the year ended March 2022 was presented to the Yukon Legislative Assembly during its fall session. It indicates that work is ongoing and the development of an action plan in response to the expected 2022 Auditor General’s report has been a goal.

“Together with our partners in the Departments of Health and Human Services, we have begun taking action to respond to the nine recommendations in the Office of the Auditor General of Canada’s report,” said Mary Cameron, president of Yukon Housing Corporation in the annual report.

Contact Dana Hatherly at [email protected]