The Yukon government is promising to do better in the face of a withering report from the Auditor General of Canada on its housing policies.

The report was released Wednesday afternoon. It outlines a very unflattering perspective on what the government has accomplished over the last several years.

In a news release, the Auditor General stated, “Today, the Office of the Auditor General of Canada provided the Legislative Assembly of Yukon with the results of an audit that examined whether the Yukon Housing Corporation (YHC) provided Yukoners who have the greatest needs, including those who are homeless, with adequate, affordable, and suitable housing.

“The audit also looked at whether the Department of Health and Social Services supported Yukoners who were homeless or at risk of becoming homeless by facilitating their access to housing.”

The report concludes that the corporation and the department “made little progress to fix long-standing issues affecting housing programs and services, and did not work together or with their partners to effectively manage housing for those who needed it most,” the release added.

“Transforming programs and services to deliver housing to vulnerable Yukoners requires the corporation and the department to work together, and with their partners. This did not happen, and those with the greatest housing needs suffered as a result,” said Deputy Auditor General Andrew Hayes.

The audit found that between 2015 and 2021, the waiting list for eligible social housing applicants grew by 320 per cent.

In 2014, the average wait time to access housing was a little over a year. By 2021, that number had risen to almost 17 months.

In addition, it took almost twice as long to provide homes for individuals from priority groups—such as victims of violence—than from non-priority groups.

Furthermore, the corporation had not updated its list of priority groups since 2007 to reflect Yukon society.

“Many issues were previously identified in our 2010 audit on housing and in our 2011 audit on health services and programs.

“Despite several initiatives and action plans in the last decade, the corporation and the Department of Health and Social Services have not followed through on many of their commitments.”

For example, the audit found, “Yukon Housing Corporation housing stock increased by 20 per cent between 2014 and 2021, but not enough to meet needs.

“The Department of Health and Social Services worked to increase emergency shelter capacity and transitional and supportive housing units.

“However, the effectiveness of these efforts suffered because the department did not assess what was needed, and did not collect data to monitor progress and inform decision making.

“It is imperative that the Yukon Housing Corporation and the Department of Health and Social Services work together to overcome the gaps and barriers we noted in this audit to help vulnerable Yukoners find the adequate and affordable housing they need,” said Hayes.

The nine recommendations are:

1. The YHC should conduct a review of rent assessment for those on social assistance, housing eligibility requirements, and its prioritization system to ensure there is access for those in most need of housing and benefits.

2. The YHC should update its needs analysis across its housing portfolio to identify gaps compared to existing supply and funding levels and take specific actions.

This should include realigning the housing stock to meet identified needs, calculating a five-year deficit for capital and maintenance, and aligning its capital asset and maintenance plans to address gaps and carry out these actions over a planned time frame.

1. The YHC should ensure that it has appropriate systems and practices in place to identify, document, and complete major and emergency repairs in a timely manner and increase accessibility and energy efficiency of their housing stock.

2. The Department of Health and Social Services (HSS) should, in consultation with housing partners, undertake regular and comprehensive needs analysis, including a review of the use of hotels as temporary accommodation, and take appropriate action to meet client needs.

3. HSS should ensure that agreements with third-party providers are comprehensive and are monitored for key deliverables.

4. The YHC and HSS should ensure there is governance and oversight in place by effectively working together and with other housing partners to demonstrate meaningful progress, resolve problems, and achieve results.

5. The YHC and HSS should work together and with housing partners to identify gaps and improve information systems to provide relevant, accurate, and timely information to support decision-making and to report on the planning, delivery, and results related to housing in the Yukon.

6. The YHC should establish appropriate performance indicators—including short-term and long-term targets and outcome measures at the program level—and develop and implement a program evaluation framework to assess achievement of desired results.

7. HSS should establish appropriate performance indicators—including short-term and long-term targets and outcome measures at the funding agreement and program level—and conduct regular program and housing provider evaluations to assess and report on achievement of desired results.

At a news conference Wednesday afternoon, Ranj Pillai, the minister responsible for the YHC, said, “I accept all of the recommendations to improve housing for vulnerable Yukoners in the Auditor General of Canada’s Independent Auditor’s Report.

“The findings by the Office of the Auditor General do create discomfort for me – and they should. However, these findings require that we take a step back and look at our shortcomings – to seek ways we can transform from our current practices to something more relevant to the needs of vulnerable Yukoners,” Pillai said.

The AG’s office found that the YHC and HSS “did not provide adequate and affordable housing to Yukoners who had the greatest needs for supportive housing,” Pillai noted.

“Simply put – the nine recommendations tell us to improve. I take the recommendations and findings very seriously – we are going to do better.”

Pillai added, “Delivering housing to those most vulnerable requires effective collaboration between many partners.

“We know our municipal, federal, First Nations, not-for-profit and private partners, are collectively dedicating significant resources to support vulnerable Yukoners.”

In further remarks about the damning report, the minister said, “In recent years, we have begun to provide a broader range and variety of programs to properly support Yukoners.

“Different models of housing, such as Housing First, have provided low-barrier access to affordable housing with supportive services to promote successful tenancies.

“Though the traditional landlord and tenant model works well for some, it is often not sufficient for those with more complex needs,” Pillai said.

“Work has been underway since 2019 to deliver new ways to house and support Yukoners with affordability constraints.”

He said the YHC will fully launch its new Community Housing Framework this summer.

“We will continue to work with our community and government partners to identify, understand and appropriately support Yukoners most in need. We will need to immediately resume work on the Corporation’s Integrated Housing Strategy,” Pillaid said.

“I am looking forward to the implementation of the multi-year memorandum of understanding that we have signed (between the YHC and HSS).

“Given the overlaps between housing and social/ economic issues, working together as a team is the only way we will realize a successful and enduring outcome.”

Tracy-Anne McPhee, the minister of Health and Social Services, also participated in the news conference.

She said the government would be taking an “evidence-based approach” to the recommendations of the auditor general's report, and come up with a needs-analysis model that can more accurately forecast the demands for housing.

That is to be carried out within a year, she said.

“We are taking the time to do this right,” McPhee added. “It’s really about accountability. Real change is coming. Transformative change has begun.”

Pillai added, “We know we have a lot of work to do. There’s a lot of pressure. We’ve been very open and honest about this. We know there has to be more done.”