The father of a family of six living in a tent in Iqaluit says despite working a full-time job, he cannot afford a place to live in Nunavut's capital.

Norman Roger Laisa and his family have spent the last three months living in a tent near downtown Iqaluit, heated by a propane tank.

"Barely slept last night just to make sure the tent is all up so my kids won't get cold," Laisa said Wednesday after temperatures dropped and the overnight windchill dipped below -30 C.

"Once in a while, I'll turn on the Coleman stove, even though we got a heater. But sometimes, it's not really warm. We got to put more blankets over our kids to keep them warm. But we managed to go through a night again."

Laisa and his family are on the Iqaluit Housing Authority's wait list for a three-bedroom unit.

The family is one of 170 households waiting for public housing in Iqaluit.

526 units all full or in need of repair

The housing authority has 526 units in the city, all of them currently occupied or in need of repair. Households are ranked on the list based on a point system.

Laisa has been working full-time with the city of Iqaluit since September, driving a sewage truck and earning around $4,000 a month. He says he hasn't been able to find a home he can afford to rent while having enough to cover the rest of his family's living expenses.

Laisa has been driving a sewage truck for the city of Iqaluit since September. (John Van Dusen/CBC)

"According to what I hear, there's quite a few places that are expensive but we never check them because if we can't afford it, why bother checking there," he said.

He used to work part-time at the local Royal Canadian Legion branch which provided staff housing but he says he wasn't making enough money to support his family.

The 45-year-old contracted tuberculosis earlier on in life, affecting his lung capacity, and says living in a home where people smoke is not an option.

"We don't have [any] choice to stay in that tent because we don't have a place to go. I can't really smell cigarettes, that hurts my lungs. If [I'm] where people smoke, I'll just end up in the hospital and I won't be able to support my family."

Waiting list for social housing in Iqaluit

One bedroom – 91 households.

Two bedrooms – 51 households.

Three bedrooms – 20 households.

Four bedrooms – 8 households.

Source: Nunavut Housing Corporation