Tenants from Newfoundland Labrador Housing’s (Housing) provincial public housing community, as well as Housing staff, will meet this weekend, September 12 – 13, for the 23rd Annual Tenant Conference being held at the Hotel Gander. The Honourable Shawn Skinner, Minister of Human Resources, Labour and Employment and Minister Responsible for Housing, and Housing’s Board of Directors will participate in the conference.
“I’m truly looking forward to participating in this year’s conference, meeting more of the tenants from across the province, and sharing their successes of the past year,” said Minister Skinner. “I know how hard they all work within their neighbourhoods, the endless hours of volunteerism and the difference their work makes in the lives of so many people.”
Conference registration begins at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, September 12, and will be followed by opening remarks and welcome by Minister Skinner. More than 90 tenants, representing 30 tenant associations throughout the province will be in attendance.
Beginning Saturday morning, guest speakers will facilitate workshops for the participants. Educator Barry Green will present a session entitled: Past, Pulse and Plan. It encourages tenants to focus on celebrating past accomplishments, what’s happening in their neighbourhoods now, and how to face new challenges. Mr. Green has extensive experience in education, training, and community and economic development. John Healey, Customer Service Representative, Newfoundland Power, will make a presentation on energy efficiency. Also Aisling Gogan, Director, Human Resources, Labour and Employment, will speak about how tenants can provide input into the Provincial Government’s policy development process.
Ten tenant associations participating in the conference are also marking important milestones. The associations celebrating 10 years are: Wishingwell/ Algerine Tenant Association, St. John’s; People on the Move Tenant Association, St. John’s; Manley Place Tenant Association, Mount Pearl; and Hilltop Tenant Association, Corner Brook. The 15-year celebrants are: Neighbourhood Enhancement Association, Let’s Grow Together Tenant Association, and Buckmasters Community Centre, all from St. John’s. The groups celebrating 20 years are: Triway Tenant Association, and Family of Friends Tenant Association, both from Grand Falls-Windsor. All the groups will be honoured with a special award of recognition presented by Minister Skinner. Housing’s CEO Len Simms will be guest speaker at a banquet for the tenants on Saturday evening.
This is also a special year for Newfoundland Labrador Housing’s tenant relations division, as it celebrates 25 years of tenant relations programming. Housing is staffed by six tenant relations officers province-wide, all of whom are social workers. With a focus on community development work, the tenant relations officers help tenants enhance community capacity and self-reliance, ultimately helping to strengthen both the individual and the community.
“The tenant relations staff has helped establish more than 33 volunteer tenant associations, province-wide,” said Minister Skinner. “With Housing’s support, these associations have grown into more than 15 neighbourhood centres and eight fully-staffed community centres, which now provide social, educational, and recreational programs and services. I commend them for their hard work and dedication to encourage healthy living and community development.”
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Media contacts:
Ronalda Walsh
Director of Communications
Department of Human Resources,
Labour and Employment
709-729-0753, 699-7903
ronaldawalsh@gov.nl.ca
Jenny Bowring
Communications Manager
Newfoundland Labrador Housing
709-724-3055
jmbowring@nlhc.nl.ca
The Honourable Shawn Skinner, Minister of Human Resources, Labour and Employment and Minister Responsible for Housing, will address Newfoundland Labrador Housing’s 23rd Annual Tenant Conference. The event will take place at 7:00 p.m. tomorrow (Friday, September 12) at the Hotel Gander. The conference continues Saturday, September 13.
The conference provides an opportunity for tenants to meet, exchange ideas and acknowledge their successes from the past year.
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Media contacts:
Ronalda Walsh
Director of Communications
Department of Human Resources,
Labour and Employment
709-729-0753, 699-7903
ronaldawalsh@gov.nl.ca
Jenny Bowring
Communications Manager
Newfoundland Labrador Housing
709-724-3055
jmbowring@nlhc.nl.ca
Newfoundland Labrador Housing (Housing) recently awarded a $113,000 contract to CMH Construction Ltd. to undertake interior and exterior renovations of 10 social housing residences at Codroy Place, St. John’s. The Honourable Shawn Skinner, Minister of Human Resources Labour and Employment and Minister Responsible for Housing, and Shelia Osborne, MHA, St. John’s West, made the announcement today.
“As landlords, we take our responsibility to maintain a quality standard for social housing very seriously,” said Minister Skinner. “This is why our government, in its last two provincial budgets, allocated significant resources to specifically address housing issues.”
The current renovations to houses at Codroy Place include: installation of new siding, doors and windows; and new pressure treated steps will be added to the rear of the buildings to replace the current concrete pads and steps.
“It is quite evident that improving our social housing stock is definitely a priority of this government,” said Mrs. Osborne. “We are very pleased that Housing has an annual program which will address property upgrades and ensure comfortable homes are available for those most in need. I know tenants at Codroy Place welcome these improvements.”
This past fiscal year alone, Housing has spent $10 million, and completed extensive exterior work on over 500 dwellings throughout the province. These renovations were a result of the significant $27.5 million funding increase, over five years, which the Provincial Government provided last year. In addition, Budget 2008 committed $10 million over five years for a new Interior Retrofit Program, which will see significant interior upgrades to many social housing properties over time.
The anticipated completion date of these current renovations is September 2008.
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Media contacts:
Ronalda Walsh
Director of Communications
Department of Human Resources,
Labour and Employment
709-729-0753, 699-7903
ronaldawalsh@gov.nl.ca
Jenny Bowring
Communications Manager
Newfoundland Labrador Housing
709-724-3055
jmbowring@nlhc.nl.ca
Extensive interior renovation work has been concluded on five semi-detached social housing dwellings located in Nain, on coastal Labrador. Newfoundland Labrador Housing (Housing) awarded the $85,000 contract to Budgell’s Equipment and Rentals Ltd. earlier this year, and the project has now been completed. The Honourable Shawn Skinner, Minister of Human Resources, Labour and Employment and Minister Responsible for Housing, and the Honourable Patty Pottle, MHA, Torngat Mountains, made the announcement today.
“Housing is making great strides with continued upgrades to its social housing portfolio throughout the province,” commented Minister Skinner. “With the increased $10 million annual modernization and improvement budget, tenants are reaping the benefits of these renovations with more comfortable and efficient rental accommodations.”
Located on Sandbanks Road, the homes received interior renovations which included items such as new flooring, kitchen counters, replaced bathroom vanities and fixtures, new light fixtures, replaced ventilation systems, as well as some interior painting.
“I’m delighted to know these refurbishments have provided tenants with comfortable and suitable facilities to address their housing needs,” said Minister Pottle. “In addition, the upgrades to these properties have also contributed significantly to the local economy, making it a very positive investment all around.”
Newfoundland Labrador Housing serves the Labrador area through its Happy Valley-Goose Bay Regional Office with 228 social housing residences which it owns and maintains. In total these houses can accommodate approximately 570 people. The regional office covers the communities of Labrador City, Happy Valley-Goose Bay and coastal Labrador. These current renovations are part of a $27.5 million five-year investment by the Provincial Government in Housing’s annual Modernization and Improvement Program.
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Media contacts:
Ronalda Walsh
Director of Communications
Department of Human Resources, Labour and Employment
709-729-0753, 699-7903
ronaldawalsh@gov.nl.ca
Jenny Bowring
Communications Manager
Newfoundland Labrador Housing
709-724-3055
jmbowring@nlhc.nl.ca