Housing is a basic necessity of life

In writing this letter, I am not representing my employer, the Iqaluit Housing Authority. As the assistant manager, I am, however, responsible for rent collection for public housing. John Amogoalik’s recent comment that he had to make a choice between feeding his family and paying the rent is one I am all too aware of.

If this rationale is put forth as a legitimate excuse for the elite of our communities, I have no idea how those with less financial or employment capabilities should cope.

Clothing, food and shelter are the basic needs of life. When money is tight, it’s very hard to maintain one at the expense of another.

No one will argue with someone’s need to feed his or her family because many of us are also struggling to feed our own.

I don’t have the answers for these problems. However, I do know that if you don’t pay your rent, sooner or later you will lose your housing, even if it is public housing.

In my professional life I am responsible for rent collection and I see many families and individuals not paying their rent. This is a terrible mistake. Iqaluit has less and less available housing – the shelters are full and the waiting list for public housing is about two years long.

As difficult as it is to get housing, owing back rent makes it a lot harder. Private landlords ask for references from other landlords and will not rent to anyone who owes money elsewhere. In public housing, you cannot get on the waiting list in any Nunavut community if you owe money to another Local Housing Authority and you may not qualify for home ownership programs, either.

It’s a sad reality in Iqaluit and Nunavut that there are many families in overcrowded living conditions and people living in shelters or on the beach in shacks. Some of these people owe thousands of dollars in back rent with absolutely no means of paying it off.

This means that the opportunity for them to obtain suitable housing is virtually nonexistent.

No matter how difficult times are for you and your family and how much you struggle every day, it will be a lot worse if you lose your housing for not paying your rent.

Chris Wilson
Iqaluit