Ottawa unlocks $4B for ‘rebalanced approach’ to Indigenous housing in urban, rural and Northern communities

The Government of Canada on Friday in Behchokǫ̀ announced an updated approach to deliver funding through the Urban, Rural and Northern Indigenous Housing Strategy.

These updates unlock federal investment to support better housing outcomes for Indigenous Peoples.

The Strategy is a $4-billion federal investment to support Indigenous housing in urban, rural and Northern communities, through a balance of Indigenous-led funding agreements and open, project-based funding for Indigenous housing projects.

Standing in front of a new house in an area of the Tłı̨chǫ community that was razed by wildfires in 2023, federal Housing Minister Gregor Robertson explained the new strategy.

“The funding will be delivered through a rebalanced approach that strengthens indigenous leadership while accelerating the delivery of affordable housing,” he said. “We have to move faster, and we have to move more deliberately through Build Canada Homes, which is the federal agency that’s dedicated to building affordable housing.”

This Includes nationally:

• Close to $1.7 billion will be delivered by Build Canada Homes, the federal agency dedicated to building affordable housing, to support Indigenous housing providers serving urban, rural and northern areas;
• Nearly $2 billion will go towards distinctions-based agreements with First Nations, Inuit and Métis partners. This includes $1.2 billion in existing funding agreements with Indigenous Services Canada and Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, as well as a $780 million top-up in new funding for the agreements.
• Up to $300 million will continue to be made available through Indigenous Services Canada to address urgent housing needs in urban, rural and northern communities, ensuring projects in the current pipeline can move forward as Build Canada Homes advances its partnerships with Indigenous housing providers.

Minister of Crown indigenous relations, Rebecca Alty, who is also the NWT’s sole MP, said she wanted the announcement to be in the community.

“When we were talking about where we should do this announcement, I made the pitch to come up see us in Yellowknife, and then let’s drive out to Behchokǫ̀, so that you can see the incredible work (that has been done here) … 230 homes have been renovated and over 90 homes have been built in this community.

“So that’s (from) the initial investments, and this is that opportunity to unlock more.”

And Behchokǫ̀ Chief Bertha Rebecca Zoe was thankful for the federal support, although she said there is still a lot of work to do.

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“With the funding that we got before (with the previous Liberal government), we’re building a lot — there’s a whole new subdivision being developed. We built a road to that last year, and so this year we’re going to be breaking ground and putting in the new subdivision.

“So we’re hoping to have at least 200 or 300 lots developed, so we’re going to be actively pursuing funding for new housing. The ones that we got before is nowhere near enough of what we need. We’re still faced with very chronic overcrowding — it’s a huge, huge issue for us in Behchokǫ̀.’

THIS STORY WILL BE UPDATED