Yukoners weigh in on Housing Action Plan progress at forum

Progress has been made on creating more affordable housing in the Yukon, according to attendees of a poverty and housing forum taking place this week, but at least one First Nation is saying there's a lot of work still to be done.

More than 120 people attended the third annual poverty reduction and housing forum in Whitehorse on Wednesday. The Yukon Housing Corporation shared aprogress report on its Housing Action Plan, which it launched in June 2015.

But progress or not, at least one First Nationsays there's still a lot of work too be done.

"We have nowhere near the homes we need," says Karyn Atlin, housing manager for Carcross Tagish First Nation.

She says the First Nation has 71 people on a waiting list for the community's 41 units.

"We have staff people working at CTFN who don't have homes. So they either have to commute or they are living with family. We've got a terrible overcrowding issue."

The Housing Action Plan plan calls for more affordable rental housing and home ownership options for Yukoners.

Mary Cameron, with Yukon Housing,says a lot of progress is being made, pointing to aneight-unit affordable housing unit in Dawson as an example.

• New apartment unit 'a start' to easing Dawson City's housing crunch

She credits the Klondike Development Organizationfor taking the initiativeto make the project happen.

The territory's Housing Action Plan is available online.