Yellowknife's Aspen Apartments to be converted into public housing

A vacant apartment building in Yellowknife is set to be converted into 36 public housing units.

The federal, territorial and municipal governments are working together to turn the downtown Aspen Apartments, formerly federal staff housing, into subsidized apartments for individuals, families and those experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

On Friday, the federal government announced it was spending $2.9 million to hand the building over to Housing NWT through the Federal Lands Initiative, and giving the city another $5 millionto help renovate it.

"In Yellowknife, the largest city in the Northwest Territories, there is a significant need for housing, and no single government can address this need alone," said Paulie Chinna, the N.W.T.'s minister responsible for housing.

"Partnerships like these are very important to me and are necessary to addressing housing issues in the Northwest Territories."

The Aspen, located on 51st Street, has been vacant for several years. The city had been pushing the federal government to release the building so it could be used for housing.

During the height of the pandemic, the Aspen was used as an isolation centre for people experiencing homelessness. Two summers ago, its parking lot became an outdoor temporary day shelter of sorts as the territorial government sought a more permanent shelter space.

"It's been four long years of advocacy to get Aspen Apartments turned into non-market housing, but today we're able to celebrate it," said Mayor Rebecca Alty on Friday.

When asked why it took so long to grant the building its new purpose, N.W.T. MP Michael McLeod blamed COVID-19, in part, and said that "this took the time that it took because we needed to find the adequate resources to be able to access the money."

The building is composed of six two-bedroom units and 30 one-bedroom units. It still needs renovations, but Housing NWT couldn't say on Friday how much those would cost.

Chinna said the rent tenants pay will depend on their income, and could range between $75 and $1,600.

As of Thursday, there were 378 households on Housing NTW's public housing waitlist.

Chinna said the Yellowknife Housing Authority will manage the building, and tenants should be able to move in within one-and-a-half to two years.