The following is being distributed at the request of Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Corporation:

Gander Conference Welcomes New Tenant Associations

The 26th Annual Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Corporation Tenant Conference will welcome nine new tenant associations when it opens this year. The theme of the conference, being held September 9 to 10 in Gander, is Healthy Body, Healthy Mind.

More than 100 social housing tenants will be in attendance, representing 38 volunteer tenant associations. The associations include people of all ages who come together to organize community events and support causes in their neighbourhoods and communities.

“I am delighted to welcome the new tenant associations to this group of dedicated volunteers who have been making a difference in their neighbourhoods and communities throughout Newfoundland and Labrador,” said the Honourable Darin King, Minister Responsible for Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Corporation. “This conference is an excellent opportunity to involve social housing tenants in the continued success of our social housing plan, and to hear their ideas and suggestions for the future.”

A Social Housing Plan for Newfoundland and Labrador - Secure Foundations, released in August 2009, outlines a long-term vision for social housing. It is aimed at improving the housing circumstances of low-income households and helping to create healthier communities. Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Corporation is the province’s largest landlord with approximately 5,573 non-profit social housing dwellings province-wide.

The new associations are: Battcock Tenant Association from Grand Falls-Windsor; Hiscock Seniors Association from Corner Brook; White/Mesher Tenant Association from Happy Valley-Goose Bay; Pearlgate Manor Association and Forsey Place Tenant Association, both of Mount Pearl; and, W.A.T.C.H Tenant Association, Parkside Parents Committee, Ricketts Manor Association, and Parents for a Better Community Tenant Association, all of St. John’s.

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2011 09 09                                                                         10:35 a.m.