Housing is Health: What remedies for urban aboriginal peoples

National Aboriginal Housing Association Association Nationale d’Habitation Autochtone Presentation NAHO Speakers Series Housing is Health: What Remedies for Urban Aboriginal Peoples? Ottawa Ontario March 1, 2012 Charles W. (Charlie) Hill, Executive Director

WHO IS NAHA/ANHA?
1994 - NAHA Incorporated to advocate against end of subsidies for new social housing projects
1996 - NAHA advocated against Canada’s download of UNH program to provinces
We now also:
Advocate for: Resources to Address Need
A National Aboriginal Housing Policy
The Right to Housing
Better Housing - Better Health
Facilitate Communication and Information Transfer
Annually Convene National Conference
Conduct Research

CURRENT NON-RESERVE HOUSING PROGRAMS
110 Urban Native Housing Corporations set up in 60s, 70s & 80s;
Purchase homes; manage and rent to Indigenous peoples at 25% RGI
CMHC provides subsidies (through provinces) to help mortgage repayment
10,000 units acquired before program cap (1994)
9,000 more under Rural & Native Housing ownership program, available in small centres
Mortgages and thus subsidies are ending

KEY PRINCIPLES
In advocating for improved housing and sufficient resources
to help reduce or eliminate backlog of required Aboriginal
housing units, NAHA pursues the following
Key Principles:
Aboriginal Control over Aboriginal Housing
Service to all Indigenous persons, regardless of “status”
Culturally-sensitive Service Delivery
Accountability at all levels of Operation
United Effort to Address Aboriginal Housing Issues

2009 NAHA Paper
A Time for Action: A National Plan to Address Aboriginal Housing
Analysis of 2006 Census Figures
Three quarters of Aboriginal peoples live off Reserve
Core Housing need is disproportionately higher among non-reserve Aboriginal households
Average income of non-reserve Aboriginal households 83% that of Non Aboriginal households
Non-reserve Aboriginal households have a much lower rate of homeownership (54% vis-á-vis 68% among non-Aboriginals)
Very High Percentage of Aboriginals among the Homeless

Call for Ten Year Action Plan
Meet Growth: 1,000 new housing units yearly
Reduce Need: 3,000 new or used rental units annually –
Renovate/Retrofit: 1,000 dwellings improved annually
Preserve existing social stock: create 1,000 new units annually
Increase non-reserve Aboriginal home-ownership (54% in 2006) to match that of the non-Aboriginal rate (68%): help 4,000 households annually

Housing is Health
Study after study world-wide confirms a direct relationship between the quality of housing and the state of the occupants’ health and well-being;
Studies show that homelessness likewise has a negative impact on the health of the homeless; and that
Homelessness costs a lot for health care and for other essential services

Housing is Health
Research to date shows:
Housing among Aboriginal peoples is the worst in Canada;
Poor housing impacts on health of people;
Good housing supports good health, educational advancement, good self-image;
Safe, decent and affordable housing is essential.

What Remedies?
NAHA calls on the federal government to:
a) extend, fund and make permanent the off-reserve Aboriginal Housing Trust, under the control and direction of a Board of Trustees made up of Aboriginal persons with knowledge and experience in Aboriginal housing administration;
establish a National (Indigenous) Housing Policy;
extend and make permanent the Homelessness Partnering Strategy in 2014;

What Remedies?
For Homelessness
Housing First
Counselling and Support Services by Aboriginal Personnel
Cultural Affinity must be incorporated into programming and physical buildings
Counselling based on Traditional Teachings

OTHER INITIATIVES
Aboriginal Homelessness Research Network :
NAHA is working in partnership with the Canadian Homelessness Research Network (CHRN) to set up the AHRN to
Develop organizational and governance structures;
Determine operating procedures and a processes;
Propose methods of facilitating dissemination of Aboriginal
research reports;
Determine a Canada-wide Aboriginal research agenda;
Present research on Aboriginal homelessness to advocate for
policy development and continued funding to counter
Aboriginal homelessness

National Aboriginal Housing Association
Association Nationale d’Habitation Autochtone
Suite 102, 396 MacLaren Street
Ottawa ON Canada K2P 0M8
Tel. 613-236-0288 (Alt. 519-445-2915) Fax. 613-232-1977
www.aboriginalhousing.org
[email_address]

Housing is Health: What remedies for urban aboriginal peoples

by National Aboriginal Health Organization

Accessibility

Categories

Upload Details

Usage Rights

1 Embed 1

Statistics

Housing is Health: What remedies for urban aboriginal peoples Presentation Transcript