The governments of Alberta and Canada have announced $13.1 million in funding for four Indigenous-owned housing projects.
The funding will go towards creating 12 seniors housing units in each community of Lac Ste. Anne, Victor Lake near Grande Cache, and Calgary. The fourth project, in northwest Edmonton, involves the purchase of a 34-unit building for affordable housing.
The projects will create about 100 jobs.
In Alberta, the funding is provided through the Indigenous Housing Capital Program (IHCP), which supports Indigenous governments and communities to build affordable off-reserve, off-settlement, and on-settlement housing.
Federal funding for the IHCP is provided through the 10-year bilateral housing agreement between the Government of Canada and the Government of Alberta under the National Housing Strategy (NHS), announced in spring 2019, and will help provide the 70 affordable housing units for this project.
The 10-year bilateral agreement will invest $678 million to protect, renew, and expand social and community housing, and support Alberta’s priorities related to housing repair, construction, and affordability.
“Through the National Housing Strategy, it is with great pleasure that our government is supporting these four Indigenous-owned housing projects throughout Alberta, so that collectively, we are better able to lift vulnerable populations of all races, ages, and genders, to find a home that meets their needs,” says Amed Hussen, Minister of Families, Children, and Social Development, and Minister responsible for CMHC. “These types of investments in our communities help create new jobs and stimulate the economy while providing access to safe, affordable homes.”
Minister of Indigenous Affairs, Marc Miller, says, “Improving Indigenous housing must be a priority for the Government of Canada. Elders have contributed so much to their communities, making sure that they have safe and affordable housing is one way to give back to them. With our partners at the Government of Alberta, the Tribal Chiefs Ventures Inc., Victor Lake Cooperative, Evergreens Foundation, Aboriginal Friendship Centre of Calgary, and Lac Ste. Anne Métis Community Association, we are building a generation of new housing that we can all be proud of.”
“Alberta’s government is pleased to support four new housing projects to be delivered for, and by, Indigenous communities,” says Joesphine Pon, Minister of Seniors and Housing. “Our program encourages public and private developers to partner with Indigenous governments and organizations, and I am proud two of the new projects feature Indigenous and non-Indigenous partnerships.”
Rick Wilson, Minister of Indigenous Relations states, “Everyone deserves a safe, affordable, and accessible home, and this important project will provide good homes to those who need them. Indigenous people are over-represented among the houseless, and having access to affordable homes keeps a roof over the head of more Indigenous people and offers a safe place for people to build their lives and heal. This project is a good example of what we can accomplish when different orders of governments and Indigenous governments and organizations work together.”
Ray Daniels, board member with the Lac Ste. Anne Métis Community Association says, “This funding creates an incredible opportunity to provide our Elders with stable, safe, affordable housing located in our home community of Lac Ste. Anne. This independent living development, to be operated in its early stages through a collaboration with the Communitas Group, fulfills a critically important short-term goal for our community.”
In addition to these four IHCP construction projects, two others have been approved for funding, with construction underway. As announced in September 2020, the Métis Capital Housing Corporation will receive up to $7 million in capital funding to repurpose 10 single-family homes in Edmonton into 23 family housing units.
Announced in August 2020, the Elizabeth Métis Settlement, near Cold Lake, will receive up to $3 million in capital funding to build 10 new four-bedroom homes. The housing will serve Métis families living on-settlement.
