Despite housing crisis, 1 in 5 N.L. government units vacant in northern Labrador

Despite homelessness and overcrowdingdescribed as a crisis in Labrador, one in five provincialgovernment-run housing units in the region's Inuit communities aresitting empty and awaiting repairs.

Some units have been vacant for nearly three years, according tonumbers provided by the Newfoundland and Labrador HousingCorporation.

The provincial government says it's working to get the homesfixed, but people on the ground say the wait is causing harm.

"It means young families, victims of violence, peopleexperiencing homelessness aren't given the chance to thrive and tomove forward with their life," said Nicole Dicker, the executivedirector of the transition house in Nain, where eight of 34 unitsare vacant.

Meanwhile, a long-standing housing shortage in the community hasforced many families to cram several generations into homes builtfor four or five people, she said, while those without a place tolive sleep on couches and floors.

In the community of about 1,125 people, those eight units wouldprovide a lot of relief, Dicker said in an interview Thursday.

"Weall know someone who could use an apartment," she added.

The Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Corporation operates 56housing units in the communities of Nain, Hopedale and Makkovik,spokeswoman Jenny Bowring said in a recent email.

Twelve are empty and in need of repairs, she said. Eleven needmajor repairs and one needs minor work and will be fixed "in thenear term." Eight empty units are in Nain and the other four are inHopedale, a town of about 575 people.

All but one have been vacant for more than a year, she said, andfour have been empty for nearly three years.

Money is available to fix them all, but the agency is havingtrouble finding contractors to do the work, Bowring said.

Contractors are being hired now to fix two units needing major work,she said, but a recent call for tenders for the other nine units was"unsuccessful."

Housing at crisis point

That doesn't surprise Joe Dicker, the AngajukKak, or mayor, ofNain's local Inuit government.

North coast towns like Nain and Hopedale are accessible by planeor ferry, and the ferry runs for only about half the year when thereisn't much sea ice, he said. The ferry is cheaper, which meansthere's a short window to ship in the lumber and complete the work,he said. The government should have amaintenance person in town and somewhere to store supplies, he said.

The mayor said the housing shortage in Nain reached a crisispoint years ago. The overcrowding puts people at a higher risk ofdiseases like tuberculosis, he said, which killed a 14-year-old boyin the community in 2018.

• People of Nain want answers after 14-year-old dies of tuberculosis

Lela Evans, the NDP's elected member for the region, is alsocalling on the government to ensure the units are regularly repairedand don't sit empty. She tabled a petition from local residents inthe provincial legislature April 13 asking for a plan.

"It's quite unacceptable to have one-fifth of the units bevacant," Evans said. "They've got to havesome way to have the repairs done year-round."

John Abbott, the minister responsible for the province's housingcorporation, agrees the homes have been sitting empty for too long,but he said because of the relatively small number of units it's notfeasible to have someone on staff in the communities to perform therepairs.

The government will put out another call for contractors in thecoming weeks, Abbott said. If it's not successful,officials will try again, maybe adjusting the pay to make the bidmore appealing, he said, adding that the COVID-19 pandemic hasexacerbated delays.

"We have a plan and the budgets and everything in place to makesure they're done this year," Abbott said. "I'm certainlycommitted to having it done this year."

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