Urban, Rural, & Northern Indigenous Housing: The Next Step

Urban, rural and northern housing providers have fought a hard, lengthy process to create a legacy of housing into which all levels of government and community have made significant investments to respond to the genuine need and to serve the most vulnerable.

Yet, the expiry of Operating Agreements under these programs are introducing a season of dramatic challenges for Indigenous housing providers, putting this collective investment at grave risk.

An aging housing inventory, reduced funding, and a growing clientele has placed Indigenous housing providers in a difficult position. The following report will expose the results of surveys and interviews. It will explain the quickly changing demographics of Indigenous populations across Canada and the background to the Urban Native Housing Program and the Rural and Native Housing Programs. This report is a continuation of many years of thought and research by the Canadian Housing and Renewal Association’s Indigenous Housing Caucus, representing urban, rural, and northern social, nonprofit and affordable Indigenous housing and homelessness providers and stakeholders.