Hall Beach Housing Association responds

As the new permanent Housing Manager for Hall Beach Housing Association I would like to respond to the letter entitled “Dysfunction, ignorance, incompetence at Hall Beach Housing Association” (Aug. 27.)

I was amazed that the writer appeared to have been able to pull such inaccurate information out of a hat in terms of rent arrears. The stated amount of $1.8 million dollars represents the total liabilities owed by the Housing Association. The rent arrears total less than 1% of that $1.8 million.

It would interest the readers to know these same auditors stated that the tenant relation officer was following the rent scale and applying the conditions set out in that same rent scale. All appeals to be moved up the scale are approved or denied by Nunavut Housing Corp., not by the Hall Beach association or the tenant officer. There is no favoritism as implied in the letter.

As for the statements implying incompetence, one must really ask whether all facts were represented fairly in this letter. Did the tenant relation officer have all the necessary information at the right time to process the rent deduction, or was the individual entitled to the rent reduction if the proper forms were not presented in the first place by a third party?

As for the issue of not renting a unit due to the colour of a back door, the legal transfer of the unit from Nunavut Housing Corp. to Hall Beach Housing Association had not yet occurred, so renting was not an option as the ownership transfer had not taken place.

Further, it would be of interest to the writer to know that the monthly rental statements are being sent out. As for the renewal agreements, the tenant relations officer has been combining her duties with those of the housing manager until I arrived. This individual cannot be all things to all people.

People will have to be patient until she can contact them regarding their agreement. Should they be experiencing concerns in the meantime, they can contact me or the tenant relations officer or simply bring their agreements into the office.

I would like to reassure the tenants of the association that my office door is open between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Generally the board meets every third Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. at the office. Please feel free to call 928-8826 if you require any information concerning meeting times, rental issues or repair concerns. We are here to serve you.

Marion Staples, Hon. BComm.
Hall Beach Housing Manager

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