Earn under $70K? Government wants to help pay your rent

The Northwest Territories Housing Corporation is handing out money to those in need by creating a program to help people who spend at leasta third of their monthly income on rent.

The program, known as the Transitional Rent Supplement Program, comes with some conditions. You must be over 19 years of age, and earn less than $70,000 a year in Yellowknife although the cutoff changesdepending onwhere you live.You must alsospend more than 30 per cent of your gross income on rent; mortgages don't qualify.

'Rent is a challengeparticularly in Yellowknife' NWTHC president David Stewart

If that's you, the housing corporation could send a cheque of up to $500 a month to your landlord on your behalf for up to two years.

Withthe cost of living being as high as it is in Yellowknife, the program could be very helpful to a lot of people."Rent is a challenge and cost is a challenge, particularly in Yellowknife," says David Stewart, the president of the housing corporation.

Someone earning $60,000 a year renting an apartment for $1,500 a month is paying $18,000 in rentevery year. That's 30 per cent of their income going towards rent, so that person would theoreticallyqualify for the program.

Stewart says the program is designed for people who are in the middle groundmaking too much to qualify for low income housing, but not enough to makes ends meet in reality. "It's a[part] of our population that historically hasnt gotten a lot of support," he says.

Few applicants

According to the latest data available, theaverage annual salary across the Northwest Territorieswas just over $67,000last year, before taxes and other deductions.

Surprisingly, the program hasn't had a lot of applicants.So far only 63 people have applied to the program. ButStewart expects at least 600 people in the city qualify.

The program's only been in place for a year, which is why the city is advertising and trying to get the word out that the service is available.

Right now, the program is capped at 150 people. More information on itcan be found here.

Tune in the Northbeat tonight to for moreon this story.