Pauline Wood was a senior citizen struggling to make ends meet.

'After my husband died, my pension just wasn't big enough to pay the oil bill,' said Wood.

Because her house was poorly insulated and in need of a new furnace, her oil bill was more than $400 a month. But with help from the federal government's repair and renovation program, Wood was able to cut her oil bill in half.

Money from Ottawa paid for her new furnace, insolation and roof repairs.

The funds came through the government's Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. (CMHC), which provides financial assistance to low-income Canadians needing minor adaptations on their homes for safety reasons.

On Monday, Yukon MP Larry Bagnell announced the federal government is giving an additional $2.1 million for a three-year extension of the Yukon's CMHC programs.

'When people are well housed, they are able to contribute to the well-being of the community,' Bagnell told a roomful of senior citizens who had gathered at the Gold Rush Inn to listen to the announcement.

He said this program will be of particular importance to the territory, as the number of Yukon senior citizens is expected to rise 120 to 146 per cent.

Wood said if it wasn't for the funding she received from the CMHC, she would have had to leave the home she had lived in for more than 20 years.

'I like the spot,' said Wood, who resides on Cook Street. 'I know it doesn't seem like a good spot to a lot of people but I'm comfortable there.'

Bagnell said many seniors and people with disabilities want to stay in their homes for as long as possible. 'They want to remain in their communities where they've been for years.'

Bagnell said he was at a potlatch last week where a woman had died 'a hundred miles away' from her own community because there wasn't adequate housing in her old community.

'It is sad that she had to spend her last years away from her friends and family,' said Bagnell. With a few minor renovations, he added, people might be able to stay in their home much longer.

The money is also meant for home renovations of the first nations, the disabled and other low-income people, said Bagnell.

'Life is a hard enough struggle for anyone,' said Bagnell. 'But if you add to that a disability, the last thing you need is the grief of not being able to live in housing like everyone else just for the lack of some renovations.'

He said northern Canada has a higher population with disabilities than the rest of Canada does.

Renovations can include outdoor entrance ramps, wider doorways and bath lifts, as well as any repairs necessary to make a home safer.

'For ordinary people, it's quite simple to use whatever there is, but once you start having problems with arthritis, or whatever, the funding becomes very helpful,' said Helen Holway, the Kwanlin Dun First Nation's housing manager.

Jon Breen, executive director of the Yukon Council on Disability, was pleased with the government's announcement.

'Issues of accessibility are so fundamental for people with disabilities that having a federal program like this one can meet quite a number of needs,' said Breen.

But while the program is nice for disabled people who own their home, people often rent, he said.

The CMHC program does allow landlords to make renovations, but it takes a commitment, as landlords might find themselves having to pay back the loans.

The CMHC funds are considered loans. But if the person lives in the dwelling for a long period of time after the renovation, he or she may not have to pay the money back.

In the case of seniors, for instance, a person has to reside in the home for at least six months after the renovations to make the loan forgivable.

For more information about CMHC renovation loans, call 1-800-668-2642.