Garden River housing policy recognized at Housing Conference

By Rick Garrick

THUNDER BAY – Garden River’s development of a new comprehensive housing policy was recognized with the 2016 Housing Recognition Award at the 14th Annual First Nations Northern Housing Conference.
“We’re leading edge, whether it’s rent collection, our tenant relations,” says Carrie Zeppa, Garden River’s tenant relations officer. “It’s liaising with the tenants, liaising with our chief and council, our management and also our policy and procedures.”
Garden River increased its rent collection levels to 97 per cent and reduced its arrears significantly since the new policy was instituted. The policy also includes improvements in construction and maintenance and the building of trust between tenants and the housing department. The community has about 1,000 on-reserve citizens.
“My impact with my tenants is calling them, sending them letters, meeting them in my office to ask them how can I help you,” Zeppa says. “We’re not here just … to collect the rent; it’s to create an effective, vibrant housing community for all of our community to enjoy.”
Zeppa says the housing department works to keep on top of any problems in the community’s homes, noting that a construction maintenance coordinator was hired by the housing department about one-and-half years ago.
“Because we have such a great rapport with our tenants, they are calling us right away,” Zeppa says. “So we go in right away, and we are tending to all of these minor issues that could be major issues. So we’re actually preventing them before they become major.”
Zeppa says housing inspections are done every year in the community.
“We’re always keeping on track of our maintenance issues, what’s coming up in the next six months,” Zeppa says. “Over the next two years we will be building 10 units.”
Zeppa says the community is currently working on four Elderly and disabled duplex units, which should be completed by the end of February.
“So I am very pleased to announce that, yes, we do have … four units available at the end of February,” Zeppa says.
Zeppa says the community plans to hold education workshops this year for tenants on the different policy changes.
“New tenants now will be required to have a security deposit,” Zeppa says. “We also have a pet policy, and it is critically important for our tenants to have tenant content insurance.”
Garden River Chief Paul Syrette accepted the award during the FNNHC Community Recognition Awards Banquet on Feb. 10 at the Valhalla Inn in Thunder Bay.
“I’m very proud of our housing department — they’ve done a lot of work,” Syrette says. “This recognition is just kind of the icing on the cake for all of the hard work that they do. They are very humble, they are a very hard working group and I am very proud to be here with them and to accept this (award) on behalf of them.”
Syrette says the housing department is dedicated to improving housing conditions in the community.
“They take callouts in the middle of the night,” Syrette says. “The effort is there and our First Nation has really responded to the efforts that they have done.”
Garden River currently has about 50 people on the waiting list for a house.
Biigtigong Nishnaabeg (Pic River) previously received the Housing Recognition Award in 2011 and 2007.