HOUSING

HOUSING – GŪKǬ́Ā GŪTIE GŪ́LḖĪ DEGE KḖNGĪ́HDÉL
(THEY ARE WORKING SO OUR HOMES ARE GOOD)

Housing Committee Update – May 2020

LFN Housing Employee is Martina Donnessey, the chairperson of the committee is Shirley Lutz. The Committee members are the following: Venus Abou, Margaret Charlie, Daniel Dick, Joe Dick, Joey Mitchell and Deanna Stewart.

The Liard First Nation Housing Department is responsible for providing safe and affordable rental housing for LFN members living on LFN community lands in the Watson Lake area.

The LFN Housing Policy and the Housing Committee guide the activities of this Department.

A total of 150 dwellings in the following communities are the property of the LFN First Nation: 

  • 2 Mile & 2.5 Mile
  • Campground
  • Winded Lake
  • Upper Liard 
  • Albert Creek
  • Moon Lake.

The LFN Housing Department uses a fair and transparent process to rent these homes to our members, maintain the units, and work with tenants and other LFN departments to resolve any issues or concerns in a fast, fair and appropriate way.

The Housing Department is also responsible for booking events at the Two Mile Community Hall.

Please call the LFN Housing (867) 536-5200 for these services:

  • Emergencies in your LFN Rental house;
  • To book a repair for your rental house;
  • To book a meeting room or event space. 

WHY DOES ‘GOOD HOUSING’ MATTER?

Having safe, quality and affordable rental housing makes a positive difference in the lives of LFN members and their families.  Having a place to call ‘home’ is important to each of us.

The Housing Department works towards these key results, as outlined in the LFN Housing Policy:

  • Rental properties are safe, affordable and effectively maintained to ensure that they meet the standards contained in the regulations to the Yukon Residential Landlord and Tenant Act.
  • LFN members can live together in a vibrant and proud community that reflects and supports LFN culture, values, and traditions.
  • Residential communities are safe, clean and healthy.
  • Tenants receive excellent customer service in their dealings with the Housing Department.

PRINCIPLES AND VALUES

The LFN Housing Department is guided by the following Principles and Values from the LFN Housing Policy:

  • The safety of tenants and staff is LFN’s primary concern.
  • Decisions about housing will be applied fairly, without family influence or political decision- making.
  • Breaches of the Rental agreement/policy will be dealt with by the Housing Department, using fairness and compassion. Evictions will only be used as a last resort, once all other options have been exhausted.
  • Wherever possible, repairs and renovations will be done using LFN resources. This creates an economic benefit for LFN workers and offers training opportunities for LFN youth.
  • Building, renovating and maintaining good rental housing has a cost – it is not ‘free’. To maintain the financial viability of the program, rent and other payment arrangements (e.g. Social Assistance) are a condition of renting an LFN home.
  • Where practical, the Housing Department will work with other departments to case manage situations where a tenant requires other services to maintain good housing standards (e.g. Home Care).

WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR AN LFN RENTAL UNIT WHEN ONE BECOMES AVAILABLE?

To be eligible for a rental unit when one becomes available, an applicant must meet the following criteria:

  1. be a LFN member, or
  2. be a primary care-giver of a LFN member who is under 18 years of age,
  3. be a tenant of only one LFN rental housing unit,
  4. must not own their own home,
  5. be 18 years of age or older, or if applying for an Elder’s residence, must be at least 65 years of age,
  6. provide full disclosure of all potential tenants including “no contact orders” that are in place and notify LFN Justice of the situation. Non LFN members cannot be listed as a tenant or co-tenant on the Tenancy Agreement unless they are a primary care giver as noted in (b) above,
  7. provide written confirmation from ATCO Electric Yukon that they are in good standing and able to obtain an electrical hook-up,
  8. must not be in rental arrears or have outstanding money owing to LFN. An applicant who is in arrears or owes money may be eligible for rental housing once they have entered into an agreement with LFN to repay the full amount of the arrears or other outstanding money owed. The repayment agreement must be in place and the applicant must have paid the agreed upon monthly payments (see Section IV, Rent and Arrears for further information).
  9. provide at least one rental reference from a recent landlord or at least one character reference from a reliable source (i.e. an employer).

If you have any questions about your eligibility, please contact the LFN Housing Department.