Indigenous Homes Innovation Initiative

Completed projects

Pikangikum First Nation

Ontario | Completed October 20, 2021

Pikangikum First Nation built an eight residential unit ‘Community Safe Village’ that provides safe, transitional, emergency housing with professional and culturally sensitive support for community members escaping violence. The facility will also have includes six hotel units accessible from a separate entrance for those visiting the community and to generate revenue to support the operation and maintenance of the Community Safe Village.

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Central Urban Métis Federation Inc.

Saskatchewan | Completed December 3, 2021

Central Urban Métis Federation Inc. (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan) built the Round Prairie Elders’ Lodge, a 3-storey complex with 26 one-bedroom units. The facility offers wrap-around health and cultural supports enabling Métis seniors to live independently in an environment that provides services to address age-related challenges.

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Project Implementation Period

Projects that complete the Accelerator requirements and receive Steering Committee’s approval, will move to Project Implementation period.

✅ The Steering Committee has now approved the following projects to move to implementation:

British-Columbia

• Lu'ma Native Housing Society

  Lu'ma Native Housing Society (Vancouver, British Columbia) will receive support to develop an affordable Indigenous-led and owned mixed-use housing complex for the Indigenous community in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. The complex includes a healing centre, food centre, health and wellbeing centre, supported adult housing units, and affordable rental units for low-income families. The complex will incorporate cultural elements such as the longhouse form with a Coast Salish Blanket pattern by local Indigenous artists. Focus area: Creating welcoming urban spaces for First Nation, Métis Nation and Inuit individuals

   

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• Nuxalk Nation

  Nuxalk Nation (Bella Coola, British Columbia) will receive support to implement Phase 1 of an Elders’ Village, a family-centered housing community that supports intergenerational living, flexible community spaces and traditional art, culture and natural landscape in the design. Phase 1 will include 10 Elder units and 10 units for caregivers in five separate complexes with a common gathering space. The idea moves away from western nuclear housing and brings forward the community practices used by Nuxalkmc ancestral ways of living. Focus area: Traditional First Nation, Métis Nation and Inuit building styles, designs and techniques

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• Centre for Indigenous Sustainability

  Centre for Indigenous Sustainability (ʔaq̓am Nation, British Columbia) will receive support to build housing for an aging population, so they do not have to leave the community as they age. The project will be a 20-unit community supportive housing complex with a central gathering space. This innovative idea also aims to build capacity and empower community members through the development of the training program with academic and technical partners. Focus area: Using the home for empowerment, capacity and support for local business in Indigenous housing

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• Witset First Nation

  Witset First Nation (Moricetown, British Columbia) will receive funding to build a six-bed restorative healing lodge and residence for Indigenous youth aged 12 to 29. The lodge will incorporate an Indigenous approach to supporting Indigenous youth such as talking circles, Elder supports, and cultural outdoor activities. Focus area: Support for vulnerable populations

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Alberta

• Changing Horses NPF Society

  Changing Horses NPF Society (Blood Tribe, Kainai, Treaty 7 Territory, Southern Alberta) will receive support to build four residential duplexes and a central hub building with office space for service providers and meeting space for harm reduction services and supports. The project will adopt a Housing First Approach using Blackfoot cultural teachings to build and strengthen the community and support healing. Focus area: Support for vulnerable populations

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• Whitefish Lake First Nation

  Whitefish Lake First Nation (Standoff, Alberta) will receive funding to build three, three-bedroom rent-to-own homes. Revenue earned will be used to establish a band-owned housing development trust fund that will enable the Nation to finance the design and construction of homes on its territory. This idea will support community vision for self-reliance and economic sustainability and help retain younger generations in the community by providing them with housing options. Focus area: Using the home for empowerment, capacity and support for local business in Indigenous housing

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Saskatchewan

• Muskowekwan First Nation

  Muskowekwan First Nation is building a Family Healing and Wellness Centre that will allow First Nations families to stay together, promoting a culturally responsive approach to healing intergenerational trauma. The Centre will have three family log homes with two to four bedrooms, as well as a fourth home for healing program delivery. The First Nation will operate the centre with support from Elders, multidisciplinary counsellors and professional staff. The Centre will provide a welcoming, home-like environment where families in crisis referred to the Centre can get the support they need to help heal together

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Manitoba

• Opaskwayak Cree Nation

  Opaskwayak Cree Nation (Treaty 5 Territory, Manitoba) will receive support to develop the design of a 'universal utility core' and a facility to produce it for local homes. The innovative idea of a 'universal utility core' would house all heating, ventilation, plumbing and electrical components of homes. Focus area: Energy independence and efficiency

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• Manitoba Metis Federation

  Manitoba Metis Federation (Winnipeg, Manitoba) will receive support to build a housing complex to temporarily accommodate Métis citizens travelling to Winnipeg to access healthcare. The complex will have the capacity to house several families simultaneously in private living quarters complemented by shared kitchen and living spaces. The facility will be built above retail space and conveniently located in close proximity to several health facilities. Focus area: Support for vulnerable populations

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• Manitoba Metis Federation

  Manitoba Metis Federation (Winnipeg, Manitoba) will receive support to develop a culturally safe urban transition facility to serve Métis youth aging out of Child and Family Services support. The project includes two adjacent complexes, each offering six private rooms and an emergency shelter room, shared laundry facilities, a communal kitchen, dining hall and living space. Wrap-around support services will be made available to help youth heal from trauma, reconnect with their culture and transition to life on their own. Focus area: Support for vulnerable populations

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Ontario

• Thunder Woman Healing Lodge Society

  Thunder Woman Healing Lodge Society (Toronto, Ontario) is building a six-storey complex with 24 affordable housing units for Indigenous women transitioning from a corrections facility to the community. In addition, the Thunder Woman Healing Lodge will offer counselling, support and supports to help residents access long-term housing options.

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• North Bay Indigenous Friendship Centre

  North Bay Indigenous Friendship Centre (North Bay, Ontario) is building a 3-floor, 30 single-unit transitional housing facility called Suswin Village. It will provide safe, accessible and dignified housing for Indigenous community members who are ready to leave the emergency shelter system. Suswin, which means 'nest' in Ojibway, will provide stable housing and individualized wrap-around support services necessary to find permanent housing, employment and overall long-term success and stability in the community. The lower level will be used for programming, counselling, life skills teaching, gathering, administration and intake.

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• Indigenous Clean Energy Social Enterprise

  Indigenous Clean Energy Social Enterprise will receive support for an innovative idea to transform homes in the communities of Fishing Lake Métis Settlement (Alberta), Red Rock Indian Band (Ontario), and the new lands of Animbiigoo Zaagi'igan Anishinaabek (Ontario) to be healthy, energy efficient, culturally appropriate, and durable. Experiences will be shared through the Bringing It Home initiative. This idea focuses on three key outcomes: high-efficiency building standards and training for construction, trades, and home. Fishing Lake Metis Settlement will build a net zero triplex that includes two-four bedroom units that bookend a two-bedroom Elders Suite. Red Rock Indian Band will build a net-zero community support centre with three private rooms to temporarily house those in crisis and space for administration and the delivery of wrap-around supports; Animbiigoo Zaagi’igan Anishinaabek will build four high performance family homes at Partridge Lake. Focus area: Energy independence and efficiency.

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Quebec

• Naskapi Nation of Kawawachikamach

  Naskapi Nation of Kawawachikamach (Quebec) will receive support to build a mixed-use complex that combines six two-bedroom residential units for young people and single parents above six retail spaces on the ground level reserved for local businesses. Focus area: Using the home for empowerment, capacity and support for local business in Indigenous housing 

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Atlantic

• Abegweit First Nation - Scotchfort Reserve, Stewart

  Abegweit First Nation - Scotchfort Reserve, Stewart (Prince Edward Island) will receive support for the design and development of a multi-unit, passive solar housing complex to accommodate young, single adults and three or four families. The build aims to support energy independence and incorporate energy efficiencies to minimize energy costs. The idea aims to get the complex certified to meet Canadian passive house standards. Focus area: Energy independence and efficiency

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Accelerator Period

During the Accelerator period, 24 Indigenous innovators were provided with an opportunity to spend up to 18 months (later extended to 20 months due to COVID), working with experts on refining their ideas. Innovators that successfully completed the Accelerator period and developed their ideas into fully implementable proposals moved to the implementation phase. The Accelerator Phase officially ended August 31, 2021.

Yukon

• Carcross/Tagish Management Corporation

  Carcross/Tagish Management Corporation (Carcross, Yukon) will work with 14 First Nation communities to develop an innovative Prefabricated Building Manufacturing Plant. The plant will address housing needs by supporting training, innovation, manufacturing and production. The project will be developed in close collaboration with Yukon College to maximize apprenticeship learning opportunities in housing and research and development for northern housing. Focus area: Using the home for empowerment, capacity and support for local business in Indigenous housing.

Northwest Territories

• K’asho Gotine Housing Society

  K’asho Gotine Housing Society (Fort Good Hope, Northwest Territories) will design and develop a home repair and maintenance education program and an innovative model to procure housing materials. This innovative idea will provide hands-on experience for local skilled tradespeople and address barriers to accessing housing materials. Focus area: Using the home for empowerment, capacity and support for local business in Indigenous housing

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Nunavut

• Chelsea Singoorie

  Chelsea Singoorie will receive support to develop a construction apprentice program for young adults to support the Qaggiq Project in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, an idea to build tiny homes around a communal gathering space to address overcrowding and homelessness. Focus area: Using the home for empowerment, capacity and support for local business in Indigenous housing

Alberta

• Samson Cree Nation

  Samson Cree Nation (Maskwacis, Alberta) will receive support to develop a prototype of a multi-generational home which includes independent living space for elders and communal space to support ceremonial and spiritual practices. The design seeks to maximize energy efficiency by incorporating solar energy and extend the life of the home by selecting durable materials, such as hempcrete walls. Focus area: Traditional First Nation, Métis Nation and Inuit building styles, designs and techniques

Saskatchewan

• Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies

  Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies (Saskatchewan) will receive support to design and develop a multi-unit student housing complex in Saskatoon or Regina to provide a home away from home and safe and culturally-relevant living spaces for Indigenous students studying at the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies and offer wrap-around cultural supports. The design will include innovative, sustainable and energy-efficient materials. Focus area: Creating welcoming urban spaces for First Nation, Métis Nation and Inuit individuals

Ontario

• Wahkohtowin Development General Partnership Incorporated

  Wahkohtowin Development General Partnership Incorporated (Chapleau, Ontario) will receive support to develop the idea of a "tree to home" supply chain that uses local resources and labour to meet local demand and address housing needs with adaptive, energy efficient, and custom-designed homes. The project will develop custom-designed homes through partnership with Boreal Products and Hornepayne Lumber. Homes will be constructed using Boreal Products’ thermo-log technology. Focus area: Using the home for empowerment, capacity and support for local business in Indigenous housing

Quebec

• Waseskun Healing Community

  Waseskun Healing Community (Saint-Alphonse-Rodriguez, Quebec) will receive support to build a new eight-room housing complex to accommodate elderly Indigenous men in private rooms with common living/kitchen and washroom facilities to support those transferring from correctional custody. The residents will have access to wrap-around services to support their transition to community life. Focus area: Support for vulnerable populations

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