Minister of Housing NWT shares progress for National Housing Day

November 21, 2025

Lucy Kuptana, Minister Responsible for Housing Northwest Territories (NWT), issued the following statement for National Housing Day:

“Tomorrow is National Housing Day, a time to reflect on the importance of housing and the ongoing challenges that contribute to homelessness. The Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) recognizes the urgency of addressing the housing crisis in the North, a challenge that calls for action and strong partnerships. I want to acknowledge the work that Housing NWT staff have accomplished this past year with the help of our partners, as we continue to make significant progress under the Strategic Renewal Strategy.

Housing continues to be one of the GNWT’s top priorities. We are committed to building more homes for Northerners, safe and healthy homes that are tailored to the unique needs of northern communities. This year, we are continuing to invest in multiple initiatives, including transitional housing, shelters and social housing.

Transitional housing is a crucial service, not only because it offers a safe place to stay, but because it provides wrap-around supports that allow residents to move toward long-term housing and wellness.

Housing NWT and Health and Social Services have collaborated with the Salvation Army in Yellowknife and Inuvialuit Regional Corporation in Inuvik to develop a transitional housing model tailored to the needs of residents returning from addiction treatment.

One five-bedroom home in each community has been renovated to operate as transitional housing for post-addiction recovery programs. This program provides a safe, substance-free and supportive living environment where residents can maintain their recovery, rebuild daily life skills and work toward stability within their community.

Yellowknife’s new transitional housing facility, located on Highway No. 3, is expected to begin operations before Christmas. The Yellowknife Woman’s Society will deliver programming and services at the facility, such as case management, life skills development and support with employment, income assistance, and housing applications. I’m proud to say that this addition will help move up to 24 residents out of homelessness and towards permanent housing.

Housing NWT oversees safe and reliable shelters across the North, and offers six homelessness programs: Housing First, Emergency Overnight Homeless Shelters, Homelessness Assistance Fund, Small Communities Homelessness Fund, Shelter Enhancement Fund and Northern Pathways Program. These programs provide financial support for individuals at risk of homelessness, fund community-led projects, and offer loans to improve existing shelters.

The GNWT is also making major investments in housing across the North. Recent initiatives to expand social housing include:

• Aspen Apartments’ 36 modernized units in Yellowknife;
• A 30-unit building for singles in Hay River, now in procurement;
• the new 50-plex in downtown Yellowknife coming Spring 2027;
• 98 modular housing units planned for delivery across 9 NWT communities; and
• two one-bedroom duplexes in Délı̨nę constructed with an innovative combination of modular and stick-built construction.

In the life of this Legislative Assembly, the GNWT is building 152 new public housing units, which is a $120 million investment, and repairing more than 500 existing units, which is a $30 million investment. And while these investments are making a difference, we cannot overcome this crisis without support. Aging assets and long waitlists for public housing units demand more than we can provide alone. With sustainable federal funding, we can create lasting improvements in housing across the NWT. We will keep working closely with our partners to make this happen.

On National Housing Day, let us recognize the progress we’ve made, and the work still ahead, in ensuring that housing is accessible for all. By working collaboratively with Indigenous Governments, community governments, and other partners and non-government organizations, we can commit to building a future where every Northerner has a safe place to call home.”

Media Requests, please contact:
Housing NWT Communications
Government of the Northwest Territories
NWTHC_Comms@gov.nt.ca

NT5