Thirty-six affordable housing units are expected to be created in Yellowknife with a total of $7.9 million in government funding announced on June 30.
The project aims to turn Aspen Apartments on 51 Street — originally built in 1978 and formerly used as federal staff housing — into permanent affordable homes that will be managed by Housing NWT upon completion.
The modernized apartments, anticipated to take 18 to 24 months to renovate, will feature 30 one-bedroom units and six two-bedrooms residences.
Based on a document that Johnson provided, it shows that rent will be based on the household’s gross income — no household pays less than $70 per month or more than $1,625 in rent and seniors can receive up to a $1,000 monthly deduction.
Aspen Apartments has been vacant for several years and the city had been “pushing the federal government to release the building so it could be used for housing,” stated Tami Johnson, communications manager with Housing NWT.
The federal government announced it was spending $2.9 million to hand the property over to Housing NWT through the Federal Lands Initiative and giving the city another $5 million to help renovate the building, said Johnson. This project is made possible by Ottawa’s additional $1.5 billion investment through the Rapid Housing Initiative (RHI), bringing the program total to $4 billion.
Present for the announcement at city hall on June 30 were federal Minister of Housing, Diversity and Inclusion Ahmed Hussen; federal Minister of Public Services and Procurement Helena Jaczek; NWT Member of Parliament Michael McLeod; NWT Housing Minister Paulie Chinna and Yellowknife Mayor Rebecca Alty.
“Homelessness is a reality for too many people in Yellowknife,” said McLeod, “and we are working to ensure everyone in our community has a safe place to call home while also creating jobs for the local economy. This investment through the Rapid Housing Initiative and Federal Lands Initiative will help our most vulnerable citizens, and will make a difference in the ongoing work to end homelessness and ensure housing affordability in Northwest Territories and across the country.”