Far too many Canadians are struggling to find homes they can afford. These challenges are especially heightened for Indigenous Peoples living in urban, rural and northern areas where there is a major need to improve the quality, supply and affordability of housing.
Recognizing the urgency to get funding into communities to build more housing, today, the Government of Canada announced an updated approach to deliver funding through the Urban, Rural and Northern Indigenous Housing Strategy. These updates unlock significant federal investment to support better housing outcomes for Indigenous Peoples.
The Urban, Rural and Northern Indigenous Housing 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.
Today, the Minister of Housing and Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations announced how funding will be delivered to support housing for Indigenous Peoples living in urban, rural and northern areas across Canada:
- 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.
- Finally, 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.
The Government of Canada is committed to working with Indigenous partners as delivery moves forward.
