The Northwest Territories branch of Habitat for Humanity recently took part in recognizing World Habitat Day on October 7th.
Thirty years ago, the United Nations General Assembly declared that the first Monday of October would be World Habitat Day, which is used to reflect on the idea of housing as a human right.
In the NWT, Habitat for Humanity has been drawing in attention to the role of decent housing in removing barriers to opportunity, success, and health by advocating for helpful initiatives such as Habitat on the Hill on October 1st. This event brought Habitat and other housing groups together with 40 Members of Parliament to discuss the need to remove GST on new homes. They also discussed how affordable homeownership can play a role in creating long-term, stable housing solutions.
In a statement, Alayna Ward, the Executive Director for Habitat for Humanity Northwest Territories, said that “there is a real sense of urgency around the need for affordable housing across Canada, and this lack of affordable housing has reached crisis levels in the Northwest Territories. Affordable homeownership needs to be part of the strategy to create more housing options, and we know that having a decent place to live plays a crucial role in building strength, stability and self reliance.”
Ward went on to request that Northerners join them in advocating their message that everyone deserves as better future through affordable housing.
