Special interest group now looking to build new elder housing
LOS ANGELES: A special interest group is currently looking to create a new form of elder housing.
The Pairijait Tigummiaqtikkut elders society is looking to build more housing for elders in Iqaluit.
The society’s lawyer and representative, Anne Crawford, as well as elder Annie Nattaq presented information about a proposed housing project at the Kuugalaak triangle by DJ’s Specialities in the city at a planning and development committee meeting Tuesday.
Crawford said the society has $250,000 to start developing the project and is working with Canada Mortgage and Housing — an organization she called “the equivalent of the Nunavut Housing Corporation but for Canada” — to build these units. It has also secured the parcel of land where the project will be built.
The new housing will be different from elder care facilities designed to provide long-term care, which the society has raised concerns about in the past.
“[The units will be] designed for people who are older and who need housing,” Crawford said.
Crawford is asking three things from council regarding the project: A reduction in the number of parking spaces in the area, given that many elders don’t drive; The closure of a road in the vicinity of the project, although the society hasn’t identified which road that might be; and expanding the parcel to incorporate land owned by the city.
Reflecting on how elders in the territory are sent to southern Canada for care, Nattaq said older Inuit need “to have a place closer to home.”
“We want to be in the land where we grew up.”
Crawford and Nattaq said Pairijait Tigummiaqtikkut currently has the land and the location of the housing units confirmed. It is, however, still working out some finer details, such as how many units will be built and what the exact design will look like.
The two representatives did not provide a timeline for the project.