The Yukon government is moving to provide funding for 102 new affordable housing units around the territory.

Ranj Pillai, the minister responsible for the Yukon Housing Corp., announced Wednesday the fourth intake of the Housing Initiatives Fund (HIF) will support eight more shovel-ready housing projects over the next two years, as well as four housing project development concepts.

“We are pleased with the tremendous response we have received in each phase,” Pillai said.

“The increased flexibility of the fund allows us to focus on the needs of youth, seniors, low-income and vulnerable Yukoners, as well as staffing pressures for local businesses and all levels of government in both Whitehorse and rural communities.

“This government is committed to providing affordable housing options to all Yukoners.”

The selected projects will support 102 new affordable housing units for Yukoners in Dawson City, Teslin, Watson Lake, Lake Laberge and Whitehorse.

These units will be below median market rent for 20 years.

“We want to make this process as easy as possible,” Pillai said.

“Over the past four intakes, this program has now supported 40 projects that will lead to more than 470 new homes in Yukon. Out of these 470 units, we are pleased to announce that more than 385 units are designated as affordable.

“This means that Yukoners living in these homes can expect rent to be held at below median market for 20 years.

“The increase in housing units will help Yukoners to access affordable housing through the private market, through First Nation housing providers, and through community organizations,” the minister added.

“Under the first three intakes, eight shovel-ready projects have been completed, two are near completion, 19 projects are underway, and three projects are scheduled to start construction.”

Pillai said that to date, 65 units have been completed in Whitehorse, Dawson, Carmacks and Haines Junction.

NDP MLA Emily Tredger told the legislature that according to a news release issued Wednesday, “shovel-ready projects in Whitehorse received $60,000 per unit up to $600,000 per project.

“Shovel-ready projects in rural Yukon received $90,000 per unit up to $900,000 per project. Project concepts received up to $20,000.

“I’m still hearing story after story after story about people who can’t find a place to live and are constantly moving,” Tredger added.

At last count, there were 375 applications on the housing corporation’s wait list, she ponted out.

“That’s not even 375 people, because of those applications are multiple people and families. Today, we heard a recap of a throne speech announcement.

“This is something Yukoners hear a lot from the Liberal government,” Tredger added.

“We hear a long list of accomplishments about all the ways that housing is getting better, but that is not what Yukoners see. What we see are lots sitting empty. What Yukoners see is post after post in Facebook groups by families desperate for a place to live.”

Tredger said she would have more sympathy for the government if this was a new problem – but it’s not.

“We have been in a housing crisis for a decade,” Tredger said.

“It is starting to feel permanent, and we have a government telling us that this is the best we can hope for. I disagree; we can do better than accepting housing insecurity as the new normal.”

Opposition Leader Currie Dixon said “the announcement itself was fine.

“We don’t have any problems with the specifics but we had some questions that weren’t answered.

“We’ve seen a trend emerge from this government that they simply aren’t able to answer any questions about the announcement they make,” Dixon said.

“We saw that today with the minister; he was able to read his speech well enough but when pressed, he was unable to answer any questions and provide any information, and indicated he’d have to get back to us.

“A lot of these ministers are new, but a minister’s statement is a prepared item,” he pointed out.

Dixon said the party wanted to know more about the timing of the units and why it’s taken so long to start building them.

To date, the fund has committed just under $16 million to affordable housing partnership projects for the construction of more than 389 affordable housing units across the territory.

Completed projects include:

• an 18-unit building in Whitehorse built by Ramza Development Ltd.;

• two four-unit projects in Carmacks built by the Little Salmon-Carmacks First Nation; and

• a 10-unit project in Haines Junction built by the Champagne and Aishihik First Nations.

The next call for housing projects will be in November.