The Government of Yukon, in partnership with members of the Housing Action Plan Implementation Committee, has published the Housing Action Plan’s latest progress report for April 2022 to December 2023.
The report provides a high-level analysis of the Yukon’s housing landscape and summarizes the progress, milestones and key achievements made under the Housing Action Plan’s three pillars during this reporting period.
The first pillar, Housing with Services, focuses on helping people gain and maintain housing with services, such as Housing First, supported independent living and employment supports. In Whitehorse, examples of successful supportive housing initiatives include the completion of the 53-unit Cornerstone Housing Project, the 84-unit Normandy Living seniors complex and the Safe at Home winter housing initiative. In Dawson City, examples of completed housing initiatives include Jëjë Zho (Men’s Shelter), and in Old Crow, the Victoria Blake Memorial Elders’ Home.
The second pillar, Rental Housing, aims to increase access to adequate and affordable rental markets, non-market rental housing and support for tenants and landlords. During this reporting period, more than 120 affordable rental homes were completed throughout the Yukon and a further 190 entered the planning or construction phase. Furthermore, over 300 households were supported through rent subsidies and the Canada-Yukon Housing Benefit.
The third pillar, Home Ownership, focuses on increasing and diversifying home ownership options. Between April 2022 to December 2023, 62 households received funding for home repairs, three households were supported with affordable home ownership, over 130 new residential lots were released and hundreds more began development planning.
The progress reflected in the latest report is the result of collaboration between partners over the last year and a half, including Yukon First Nations, developers, contractors and municipal and federal governments.
Housing remains a priority for this government. We recognize that meeting the territory’s increasing housing demands is not something any one government or organization can do alone. Through continued collaboration, we look forward to seeing more Yukoners find homes for themselves and their families. This latest report on our Housing Action Plan reflects both this commitment as well as the strong level of partnership happening across the territory.
Opportunities Yukon’s Cornerstone project is the perfect NGO success story! A result of clear vision, careful planning and strong leadership many years before breaking ground. Federal and territorial governments provided resources and then let us deliver on our vision.
Yukon’s not-for-profit sector is vital in finding solutions for those who struggle to find safe and permanent housing. Opportunities Yukon has and will continue to support other organizations with similar visions.
Our grandparents have spoken for years about the importance of Yukon First Nation people’s active participation when programs are being created that will affect us. Our representation in building this plan and our active continued participation commits our voices as Yukon First Nation people and guarantees that we are enshrined in Yukon’s Housing Action Plan.
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The Housing Action Plan is a collaborative, 10-year framework that identifies key objectives to improve the Yukon’s housing system.
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The Housing Action Plan report for April 2022 to December 2023 summarizes the last year and a half of progress made on the implementation of the 10-year Housing Action Plan for the Yukon for 2015 to 2025. It includes summary statistics and major milestones related to the three key action plan pillars.
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The report for April 2022 to December 2023 was developed by the Housing Action Plan Implementation Committee, which comprises housing providers, advocates, stakeholders and others.
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Since the 2015 implementation of the Housing Action Plan, five progress reports – including this one – have been issued by the Implementation Committee.
Jordan Owens
Cabinet Communications
867-335-9058
Jordan.Owens@yukon.ca
Jason Seaton
Communications, Yukon Housing Corporation
867-333-9571
jason.seaton@yukon.ca