Towards an Aboriginal Housing Strategy in Vancouver Canada | 2014

Toward a

Towards an

Aboriginal Housing StrategyCity of Vancouver, Canada | 2014

Carter C., Henderson T., MacLean M.& Wiebe J.

Ulteri Visual Communications for Sustainable Development

Prepared For:

City of Vancouver Planning and Development Services

Prepared By:For inquiries, please contact authors

Christopher Carter | [email protected] Tasha Henderson | [email protected] MacLean | [email protected] Weibe | [email protected]

Coordinators: Michael Gordon (SCARP / City of Vancouver) and Pam Brown (UBC Museum of Anthropology / Native Youth Programme)Copy Editor: Tasha HendersonGeographic Information Systems and Mapping: Christopher Carter & Justin Wiebe

Design and Layout: Christopher Carter | Ulteri Communications.Front Cover Image: Haida Art Under Granville - Malcolm MacLeanOverlay, Conclusion Page and Rear Cover Image: Reflections of the Indigenous Sprawl - Overly Creative Minds Program / Urban Native Youth AssociationDocument Artwork: By artist, Claiming Spaces : Voices of Urban Aboriginal Youth - UBC Museum of Anthropology Exhibition, 2014

E-Publication Date: September 3, 2014

Recommended Citation:Carter C., Henderson, T., MacLean, M. Wiebe J. (2014). Toward an Aboriginal Housing Strategy for the Under-housed in Vancouver British Columbia. Policy Briefing.

3 Toward an Aboriginal Housing Strategy | City of Vancouver

WE would like to begin with an acknowledgment of the Coast Salish Peoples, Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations who have continuously inhabited the lower main-land of British Columbia and the lands in which the City of Vancouver rests on today.

In light of this understanding and 2014 Vancouver City Council recognition of the city’s exist-ence on these unceded lands, a political agenda to end visual homelessness and efforts for the city to be the Greenest City in the world by 2020, there has never been a more relevant time to share value and address the under housing of Aboriginal people in Vancouver.

Achieving a better housing future with urban Aboriginal peoples in Vancouver is possible, namely through reducing the barriers to access, promoting self-governance and to securing the financing to affordable and dignified homes. In the course of this document we hope our analy-sis provides a catalyst to this future and to inform relevant and effective policy making.

Thank You,

Christopher Carter Tasha Henderson Malcolm MacLean Justin Wiebe

A NOTE FROM THE PLANNING TEAM

Toward an Aboriginal Housing Strategy | City of Vancouver 4

Inner Space (2013)Alison Bremner

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT the City of Vancouver formally acknowledge that the city of Vancouver is on the unceded traditional territory of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations.

-City Council of Vancouver, 2014


CONTENTS

1.0 Executive Summary..................................................................6

2.0 Context.........................................................................................9 2.1 Aboriginal People in Canada..........................................9 2.2 Urban Aboriginal Peoples in Canada...........................9 2.3 Urban Aboriginal Peoples in Vancouver......................11 2.4 Urban Aboriginal Housing in Canada.........................11 2.5 Urban Aboriginal Housing in Vancouver....................11 Housing Policy Map.......................................................15 Stakeholder Map.............................................................16

Oriented Development Map 1.......................................17

3.0 Policy Review............................................................................19 3.1 Federal Policies...............................................................19 3.2 Provincial Policies..........................................................20 3.3 Municipal Policies..........................................................21

4.0 Vision and Guiding Principles...............................................22

5.0 Policy Analysis and Actions...................................................22 5.1 Access..................................................................................24 5.2 Governance........................................................................27 5.3 Finance................................................................................29

6.0 Institutionalization..............................................................32

7.0 Conclusion................................................................................35

8.0 References..................................................................................36


1

Access to affordable and sustainable housing options is a major issue across Canada, and strongly amplified in urban centres with rising land values and housing costs such as the City of Vancouver. While all residents are affected by these issues, some demographics are disproportion-ately homeless, under-housed and/or denied access to safe, suitable and secure housing options. In Vancouver, urban Aboriginal peoples are vastly over-represented in these statistics with the numbers only increasing as migration to urban centres from rural or reserve communities continues to grow.

The condition of on-reserve housing for Aboriginal peoples is well-documented and heavily crit-icized, noting that housing on-reserve consistently fails at meeting acceptable housing standards across the country. Less is known about the state of housing conditions for urban Aboriginal peoples, though the research clearly shows that across all categories – from social housing to private home ownership – urban Aboriginal peoples lack the same access and opportunities in the housing market as non-Aboriginal peoples.

Though the focus of our report is on the City of Vancouver, each level of government (municipal, provincial and federal) has a distinct and important role in addressing housing issues. In particular, the National Aboriginal Housing Association (NAHA) advocates for the development of an explicit funding stream, whereby the provincial and federal governments recognize and honour their fiduci-ary responsibility to all Aboriginal peoples, despite their legal Aboriginal status under the Canadian Constitution or whether they live off-reserve. This report outlines some of the key past policies from each level of government and how they impact the lives of urban Aboriginal populations today.

Housing issues are not isolated from other social, cultural and economic issues such as poverty, edu-cation, health and employment. We understand these issues to be complex, requiring comprehensive strategic plans and a strong commitment to engaging a multitude of voices and accountability to the community. As such, our policy recommendations fall under three broad-level categories, each requiring an accompanying strategic action plan for effective implementation and the inclusion of measurable outcomes to ensure ongoing success. With the recognition of the City of Vancouver unanimously passing a motion to formally acknowledge the placement of the city on unceded tra-ditional territory in 2014, local government and urban Aboriginal stakeholders alike have a unique opportunity to engage in meaningful dialogue towards effective housing policymaking and programming.

1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY


1

Access The first step in addressing housing issues in Vancouver is to immediately increase access to safe, healthy and sustainable housing choices for urban Abo-riginal peoples. In particular, youth, families, single-parents, the hard-to-house and homeless require additional support and services to ensure their right to dig-nified and secure housing.

GovernanceIt is crucial that all levels of government are involved with housing strategy and that they work collaboratively with Aboriginal organizations to ensure a cultur-ally appropriate and respectful approach to housing.

FinanceCurrent funding for Aboriginal-specific housing strategies is scarce at best. New and sustainable funding streams from all levels of government are required to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of actions related to solving the current urban Aboriginal housing crisis.

1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

1

3

2


[BOX 1]

According to the 2011 Canadian census: • “In 2011, 851,560 people identified as a First Nations person, representing 60.8% of the total Aboriginal population and 2.6% of the total Canadian population.”

• “In 2011, 451,795 people identified as Métis. They represented 32.3% of the total Aboriginal popula-tion and 1.4% of the total Canadian population.”

•“In 2011, 59,445 people identified as Inuit. They represented 4.2% of the total Aboriginal population and 0.2% of the total Canadian population.”

Source: Statistics Canada. (2011). National Household Survey Aboriginal Population Profile,Vancouver, CMA, British Columbia, 2011.


2.0 CONTEXT

2.1 Aboriginal People in Canada

Finding a universally accepted definition of who is or is not Aboriginal is both a challeng-ing and problematic task. With a vast amount of definitions used throughout literature and anecdo-tally, the most common definition in the Canadian context is found in Section 35(2) of the Canadian Constitution:

“In this Act, “Aboriginal Peoples of Canada” includes the Indian, Inuit and Métis peoples of Canada.” 1

Without a clear definition of who is Aboriginal, Aboriginality is often defined in relation to Indian Status, or left for the Canadian courts to distin-guish and define who are First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples. In addition, many Indigenous Nations undertake efforts to define their own membership; however, throughout this report the definitions used are the three most broadly accept-ed definitions of the three constitutional groups.

Important to note is that while these groups are connected and face many similar issues across Canada, they remain unique and diverse in mem-bership, culture, and relationship to Canada (Box 2).

First Nations

First Nations people (often legally referred to as Indians in Canada) fall into two commonly un-derstood categories: status and non-status. Status Indians are First Nations individuals who are reg-istered Indians under the Indian Act, while non-status Indians are those who have connections to First Nations communities, belong to a Nation, etc., but are not registered under the Indian Act. First Nations is a very broad category and includes many distinct Nations whose territories encom-pass much of Canada and cross into the United States.


[BOX 2]

According to the 2006 Canadian census, 54% of Aboriginal people live in cities.

“For most [Aboriginal people in city], the city is home, but urban Aboriginal peoples stay connected to their communities of origin. Six in ten feel a close connection to these communities links that are integral to strong family and social ties, and to traditional and contemporary Aboriginal culture. Not with standing these links, majorities of First Nations peoples, Métis and Inuit consider their current city of residence home (71%), including those who are the first generation of their family to live in their city.”

Source: Urban Aboriginal Peoples Surveyhttp://www.uaps.ca/knowledge/key-findings/


Métis

The Métis (michif) are a unique Indigenous group with kinship connections to various First Nations including the Cree (nêhiyawak) and the Dene, as well as Europeans. The Métis formed a unique cultural identity rooted in these connections. Their traditional territory is typically viewed as the prairies, but in some cases is expanded to include other regions. Inuit

The Inuit are those Indigenous peoples who have traditionally, and largely continue to inhabit, the northern parts of Canada. They are distinct from both First Nations and Métis peoples.

2.2 Urban Aboriginal Peoples in Canada

Following the end of the Second World War, many Aboriginal soldiers returned to Canada in search of opportunities outside of their reserve or rural areas, causing a marked influx of Abo-riginal people to urban centres across the country. This growth continued and according to the 2006 Canadian census, the urban Aboriginal popula-tion is now over 600,000. It is assumed this trend of rural-urban migration will continue and this number will continue to increase (Box 2).

The once commonly held view that Aboriginal people still live predominantly on reserves or in rural centres no longer holds true. It is also worth noting that urban Aboriginal people are not as transient as commonly believed; according to the Urban Aboriginal Peoples study, most individu-als have not returned to their reserve, and have no plans to do so.

A notable income gap does exist between urban Aboriginal people, and their non-Aboriginal coun-terparts. According to the 2006 census, on average

Aboriginal people living in cities with a popula-tion over 100,000 make $27,029 while non-Abo-riginal people in the same cities make an average of $37,594. This income gap is an important one when developing affordable, secure, and safe hous-ing options for urban Aboriginal people.

Recognizing that more than half of all Aborigi-nal peoples live in urban centres, the diverse and unique needs of urban Aboriginal peoples cannot be ignored.

2.3 Urban Aboriginal Peoples in Vancouver

According to the 2011 National House-hold Survey, 52,375 Aboriginal people live in Metro Vancouver. At 2% of Vancouver’s total population, this statistic gives Vancouver the third highest Aboriginal population in Canada 5.

Figure 1. Individual Responses for Urban MigrationSource: Urban Aboriginal Peoples Survey - Vancouver


2.4 Urban Aboriginal Housing in Canada

The housing situation for many Aboriginal people in Canada is stark. The deplorable housing found on reserves is well-documented; however the unfortunate reality is that housing conditions for urban Aboriginal peoples is not so different. Relocating to the city for family and educational or employment opportunities, urban Aboriginal peoples have the most difficulty finding and secur-ing affordable housing, and are often subjected to interpersonal and systemic racism connected to historical, and on going, forms of oppression and colonialism (Box 3.).

Looking at home ownership, approximately 47% of urban Aboriginal people own their home, in contrast to the 71% of non-Aboriginal people who own their home. Across both home rental and ownership, urban Aboriginal peoples’ housing has a higher rate of failing to meet national oc-cupancy standards (Aboriginal housing – 19.6%; non-Aboriginal housing – 11.9%). Furthermore,

17.2% of Aboriginal dwellings are in need of major repair, compared to just 6.7% of dwellings lived in by their non-Aboriginal counterparts 7.

Aboriginal households are also more likely than non-Aboriginal families to be single parent house-holds with one third of urban Aboriginal children raised by a single parent. This is an important consideration when developing housing solutions for numerous reasons, particularly when consider-ing income levels and housing affordability. The urban Aboriginal homelessness crisis is very much a ‘macro’ issue – that is, it emerges from distinct historical processes, structural causes (cultural, economical), political decisions and neglect. Un-surprisingly, Aboriginal peoples are disproportion-ately represented in urban homeless population counts across thecountry.

Finally, it is worth acknowledging that Aborigi-nal peoples are disproportionately subjected to the criminal justice system and incarcerated. As a result, prisons do “house” a notable Aboriginal population that is typically excluded from home-less and other housing counts.

2.5 Urban Aboriginal Housing in Vancouver

Reflecting broadly on the Canadian experi-ence, Aboriginal people living in Vancouver are struggling to find adequate, secure and affordable housing. Unsafe, unkept and over-crowded hous-ing is a reality for many urban Aboriginal people.

Across the City of Vancouver, homelessness is on the rise, and Aboriginal people are drasti-cally over-represented within this demographic. Though Aboriginal people only comprise 2% of Vancouver’s total population, 31% of homeless indi-viduals identify as Aboriginal.

According to the 2014 Metro Vancouver Homeless Count, this translates to a total of 582 Aboriginal peo-ple who are homeless 8. This number, while large, is

[BOX 3]

According to a Literature Review of Aboriginal Homelessness in Canada

“A significant proportion of housing occupied by Aboriginal Peoples in urban areas is inadequate and not af-fordable, and Aboriginal homelessness in major urban areas ranges is disproportionate.”

Source: Caryl Patrick. (2014). Aboriginal Homelessness in Canada: A Literature Review. Toronto: Canadian Homelessness Research Network Press, pp. 18.


likely vastly under-stated given downfalls of capturing this data. The homeless count only gives a 24 hr snap-shot of the housing crisis and many Aboriginal people, especially Elders, choose not to openly identify as such for fear of discrimination.

Based on the most recent data available, over one-third (35%) of Aboriginal people living in Vancouver were living under the low income cut-off indicator, which is a threshold noting families who devote a larger share of their income to the necessities of food, shelter and clothing. For non-Aboriginal people, this number is 21% 9.

KEY STATISTICS

15% of Canada’s urban aboriginal people live in Vancouver

1 in 3 Vancouver Aboriginal citizens are in core need, spending a majority of their in-come on housing

Sources: Statistics Canada 2014, Urban Aboriginal Peoples Survey, Vancouver Homeless Count (2014)

31%

of Vancouver’s homeless population identify as Aboriginal, most of whom are Women and Youth


The Web of Aboriginal Housing Policy Making

Figure 3. Systemic linkages in Aboriginal housing policy and planningSource: Created by SCARP planning Team

Policy Thematic Mapping

As a human right and policy issue, housing finds itself suspended and connected to a myriad of other public policy and development issues. Identify-ing what makes this the housing acquisition, retention governance and finance unique to urban Aboriginal people can inform policy creation .

This can namely be done through assisting in creating strong policy linkages and effective mainstreaming of an Aboriginal housing strategy into long-term plans such as Greenest City 2020, Transportation 2040, and the Housing and Homelessness Strategy. More on specific institutionalization and mainstreaming can be found in Section 6.0(Page 32).


Stakeholders in Vancouver Aboriginal Housing

Figure 4 . Analysis of current stakeholder landscape of Aboriginal housing stakeholders in VancouverSource: Created by SCARP planning Team

Current Stakeholder Mapping

Entering into a housing strategy and policy creation necessitates an understanding of present plan-ning processes, organizations and institutions formal and informal engaged in Aboriginal housing and com-munity organizing in Vancouver.

Inclusion of ongoing processes can ensure relevance of planning activities and increase effectiveness and buy in strategy implementation.

This map is non-exhaustive given the time frame of this policy research and engagement but provides a snapshot of current stakeholders engaged in program-ming and planning for Aboriginal housing in Vancou-ver in 2014.

Culturally Oriented Development Maps

The following maps display services, estab-lished housing and cultural spaces unique to the urban Aboriginal community in Vancouver. Establishing the services, places and spaces that Aboriginal people identify with can inform Aboriginal housing policy while understanding its spatial dimensions.

Knowing areas of Vancouver that Aboriginal popula-tions are drawn towards (marked as titles in map) and currently reside in (data absent). Place names for these maps were sourced from the 2013 Downtown East Side Community Plan and in consultations with commu-nity organizers from the urban Aboriginal community.


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3.0 POLICY REVIEW The reserve/off-reserve distinction applied to the Aboriginal population still informs many of the decisions made regarding funding, priorities, and subsequent resource allocation. This distinc-tion is further amplified by the creation of divisions between status Indians, non-status Indians, Métis, and Inuit.

3.1 Federal Policies

In 1966 the Federal Government, through Indian Affairs, developed an Off-Reserve Hous-ing Program. Under this program, a grant of up to $10,000 was provided to qualified households. This money was to be used as a down payment on a house, and was forgivable at the rate of $1,000 a year over ten years, provided the purchaser was making his/her mortgage payments faithfully. The criteria required that a purchaser must have a good credit rating, but initially set $16,000 as the

maximum income a family could be making in one year, in order to qualify” 10. The program had one major drawback: the $16,000 maximum income excluded many low-income families needing support. The program saw relative success in the beginning years but was eventually cancelled in 1985 due to lack of use.

Based on the findings from the Hellyer Report, the Federal Government launched a $200 mil-lion program entitled The Demonstration Program in 1970. Though the program was not Aboriginal specific and aimed to address the general housing need in major urban centres, one of the projects that emerged was an Aboriginal-specific initiative in Winnipeg: Kinew Housing Corporation, organ-ized by the Native Friendship Centre. Kinew Hous-ing Corp. was the first non-profit housing corpora-tion sponsored, owned, and operated by Aboriginal peoples and endures success today providing af-fordable housing to urban Aboriginal people in the city of Winnipeg.

Figure 2 . The age distribution of Aboriginal peoples by gender in Canada compared to their non-Aboriginal counterparts. Source: Statistics Canada

[BOX 4]

The National Aboriginal Housing Association (2009:5) states:

“[we] strongly believe that the federal government’s fiduciary responsibility to Aboriginal persons applies to all Abo-riginal persons regardless of whether they live on or off re-serve.”


Between 1972 and 1975 The Demonstration Pro-gram saw the creation of five additional Aboriginal non-profit housing organizations across Canada. Despite generous changes made to the National Housing Act in 1973, the six Aboriginal housing organizations still struggled to survive. To help ensure the viability of projects undertaken by the Aboriginal housing organizations, Canada Mort-gage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) provided an annual grant and by 1975 the six Aboriginal housing organizations were responsible for 600 units of rental housing.

From 1974 onward three iterations of the Ur-ban Native Housing Program existed. The Ur-ban Native Housing Program is administered by (CMHC) on behalf of the Federal Government to provide support for Urban Native non-profit housing sponsors in meeting the housing needs of urban Aboriginal people. The three iterations of this program are commonly referred to as the: pre-1978 program; pre-1986 program; and the post-1985 program. The post-1985 program was incorporated into the 1986 Urban Social Housing Strategy. In the program’s current state it provides a maximum annual subsidy to housing sponsors equal to the difference between acceptable annual operating costs and annual project revenues. The rents, for units established under the Urban Native Housing Program, are also indexed to a rent-to-in-come scale, which equates to ~25% on the renters income 11,12.

In 1993, the Federal Government ceased subsidies to new social housing projects. In response, the various Aboriginal Housing organizations met and formed the National Aboriginal Housing Com-mittee. The committee rallied against the Federal Government’s decision with no success, but were incorporated as the National Aboriginal Housing Association (NAHA) in 1994. In 1996, the Federal Government negotiated with the provinces and territories to transfer all social housing programs,

including Aboriginal housing, to their jurisdic-tional responsibility. NAHA argued against this downloading, arguing that Aboriginal peoples remain federal responsibility and pushed to at least have the Urban Native Housing Program trans-ferred to NAHA. Unfortunately NAHA was unsuc-cessful and between 1997 and 1999 the majority of housing responsibilities were transferred from the Federal Government to various Provincial and Territorial Governments.

In 2005 negotiations regarding the Kelowna Ac-cord were taking place. The Kelowna Accord was agreed to by all parties and included provisions regarding on- and off-reserve housing improve-ment. Unfortunately with the defeat of the Liberal Government the Kelowna Accord was dropped. However, after continued pressure, the Federal Government agreed to provide $300 million for off-reserve housing through a trust fund, accessi-ble only by the provinces and territories, called the Off-Reserve Aboriginal Housing Trust.

3.2 Provincial Policies

In 2006, British Columbia signed a Social Housing Agreement (SHA) with CMHC. This agreement requires the province to honour the agreements signed between the Urban Native Housing Program organizations and CMHC. This equates to funding for tenant counsellors and the maintaining of rent geared to income at 25% of the tenant’s income.

The BC Housing Corporation agreed to work with a BC organization called the Aboriginal Housing Management Association (AHMA) to determine suitable projects at the local level to receive BC’s share of the provincial allocation ($300 million from Federal Government divided amongst all provinces and territories). 2007 saw the launch of the Aboriginal Housing Initiative (AHI), funded in part through $50.9 million from the federally-funded Off-Reserve Aboriginal Housing Trust. This funding allowed for the development of 200 new affordable housing units for Aboriginal peo-


ple living off-reserve. In 2005 BC transferred 189 Aboriginal housing units to AHMA and commit-ted to transferring more. In 2009 they met that promise, transferring an additional 565 units to AHMA. Furthermore, in 2012, the Government of Canada and the Province of British Columbia, through the Canada-British Columbia Agreement for Investment in Affordable Housing, announced a further combined investment of $5 million to create more affordable rental housing projects focusing on Aboriginal clients across B.C.

While AHMA partnered with the Province to assist in the evaluation and oversight of the project manage-ment and operations, an exciting and drastic change to their relationship occurred at the beginning of 2013. BC Housing transferred administration of all Aboriginal social housing to AHMA, totaling ap-proximately 4,000 units since the initial transfer of 189 units in 2005. Now falling under AHMA’s jurisdiction is all Aboriginal Housing units, emergency shelters and the Aboriginal Homeless Outreach Program that operates in nine communities. Stakeholders agree that this Aboriginal self-management model for social housing better serves the needs of Aborigi-nal peoples in BC. The first of its kind in Canada, this partnership between BC Housing and AHMA is an important milestone and the Provincial Government will provide AHMA with over $30 million annually to administer subsidy payments that keep housing affordable for Aboriginal indi-viduals and families.

3.3 Municipal Policies

While the City of Vancouver is a munici-pality known for its proactive approach around homelessness and housing, many of the current documents fall short in providing concrete and specific policy and strategies around solving issues faced by urban Aboriginal people in Vancouver. The 2007 Metro Vancouver Affordable Housing Strategy identified that 43% of Aboriginal renters living in the region are in need of core housing 13. Sadly, this was the only mention of housing issues facing urban Aboriginal people in the report.

Vancouver’s Housing and Homelessness Strat-egy 2012-2014, providing a more in-depth and shorter-term action plan based on the overall 2012-2021 strategy, broadly identifies a variety of actions and anticipated outcomes regarding housing and homelessness in the city. The report lists several opportunities to work with Aboriginal partners to undertake actions and address different issues, however, there are no specific ac-tions targeted to address the clear and document-ed housing needs of urban Aboriginal people. Aside from the mention of potential Aboriginal partnerships, urban Aboriginal people are com-bined with youth and women as one portion of a more marginalized demographic.

Unsurprisingly then, in Vancouver’s Housing and Homelessness Strategy 2012-2021 Aboriginal peo-ple are mentioned once:

Target low barrier shelter, support-ive housing and social housing:

- In neighbourhoods with significant homeless populations and limited capacity, and; - To specific populations (e.g. youth, urban Aboriginal, mentally ill, wom-en etc.) 14.

Although the goal of increasing low barrier shel-ters, supportive housing and social housing is an important one, it remains to be seen how this will specifically address the particular issues facing urban Aboriginal people.


4.0 VISION

Through the development of a comprehensive, multi-stakeholder approach to urban Aboriginal housing strategy, all urban Aboriginal peoples in the City of Vancouver are able to readily access affordable, safe, suitable, and secure housing opportunities for themselves and their families.

It is our hope that the City of Vancouver, the Province of British Columbia and the Government of Canada adopt a collaborative approach and appropriate fiduciary responsibility to working with urban Aboriginal peoples and organiza-tions to ensure that all plans reflect the complex and multidimensional nature of housing issues.


Guiding Principles

Our principles reflect international best practices in housing and multi-stakeholder governance to ensure that our policy recommendations are implemented with respect and the spirit of decolonization and self-determinism.

• There must be recognition of the historical and ongoing effects of colonization in Canada and the resulting systemic discrimination and oppression experienced by all Aboriginal peoples;

• Housing services for Aboriginal persons must be culturally appropriate and respectful;

• Housing services must be provided to all Indigenous persons, despite their constitutional status as an Aboriginal person;- • Urban Aboriginal peoples must be provided the opportunity and right to be consulted and engaged in developing housing strategy and plans that directly affect the services they access;

• Aboriginal organizations or individuals must either be consulted in the development of, or be responsible for delivering, all Aboriginal housing services; • A clear monitoring and evaluation plan is necessary to provide transparency and accountability at all levels of engagement.

4.0 VISION


5.0 POLICY ANALYSIS AND ACTIONS

5.1 Access While the issue of housing is clearly multidimensional, the most urgent need comes in the way of access to safe, healthy and dignified housing choices for urban Aboriginal populations. Re-locating to urban centres often results in Aboriginal individuals and families experiencing discrimination, racism and lack of access to quality housing. Multiple studies highlight the challenge for urban Aboriginal peo-ples of all income levels, age categories and family situations in finding stable and suitable housing, though there are specific demographics within this population that require additional support, reflected in the following policy recommendations.

Figure 5. Oppenheimer Park

Beginning in July 2014, a group of housing and Indigenous activists organized a re-occupation of Oppenheimer Park in Vancouver through the establishment of a tent village. The group is demanding real action on the lack of housing for the homeless and hard to house, and have no plans to vacate the park until concrete actions are taken. The tent village in Oppenheimer Park demonstrates the intersections between Indigenous sovereignty and affordable housing for urban Aboriginal people.


Increase access to adequate and suitable housing options for urban Aboriginal youth, families and single parents. With lone parents experiencing the highest incidence of core housing need in urban centres (ie. more than half of all female single-parent households experience core housing need), housing designed with these specific demographics in mind is needed to ensure continued and stable ac-cess to appropriate housing options.

Increase access to safe, healthy and dignified housing for the hard to house and homeless. In Vancouver, Aboriginal people are severely over-represented amongst the overall homeless population. If we account for those ‘at risk’ of homelessness and who lack housing stability, or whose housing does not meet health and safety standards, this number grows exponentially. Following a Housing First model, it is imperative that both temporary and permanent housing options are built for these high-needs demographics, with clear consideration of proximity to existing urban Aboriginal support services and organizations.

Increase access to home ownership through grants and access to personal financ-ing options. Urban Aboriginal people own their own homes at a fraction of the rate as their non-Aboriginal counterparts. Home ownership can provide stability, access to the housing market and equity that the rental market lacks. Leading the country in housing and land prices, it is especially important that the province and the City of Vancouver take measures to ensure fair and equitable access for Abo-riginal peoples considering home ownership.

Increase culturally appropriate housing options. Across Canada, housing op-tions that respect and include an Aboriginal world view are in high demand and important assets in the urban Aboriginal housing stock. The design of these hous-ing options and programs will be most successful if done with full consultation and later managed by Aboriginal people and organizations. Consider culturally oriented development in relation to other city services (ie. transit).

Ensure housing supports individuals’ ability to work, thereby reducing eco-nomic gaps. Housing challenges have impacts that extend beyond stable housing and have noted impacts on education, income, physical and mental health. Lower-income housing options that encourage independence and desire for increased personal income would provide a safety net for individuals looking to re-enter the paid workforce.

Strengthen non-Aboriginal and Aboriginal mixed housing options and access to shared spaces for inter-cultural exchanges. It is important not to lose sight of systemic issues preventing access to housing, such as racism and discrimination towards Aboriginal peoples. Providing mixed housing options and opportunities for inter-cultural exchanges will assist in breaking down some of these existing boundaries to create a more positive and respectful urban environment.

A

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ACCESS


[CASE STUDY:]

In New Zealand, strong efforts are being made in collaboration with cities and district councils, and the Māori to establish culturally appropriate housing and land tenure options. The City of Auckland, and the Whangarei District Council are two such examples. In the Plans of both the City of Auckland’s and the Whangarei District Council the importance of establishing Papakainga housing is outlined. Papakainga housing, which is a form of housing development that occurs on multiply-owned Māori or ancestral lands, means a ‘nuturing place to return to’ 15,16.

Resource: Papakainga Housing Brochure http://theplan.theaucklandplan.govt.nz/aucklands-maori/



5.2 Governance

Increasing adequate and affordable housing for Aboriginal peoples in cities, and creating sup-portive urban environments for Aboriginal peoples and their cultures, is essential moving forward. In order to be successful in addressing some of the housing, and accompanying social and economic issues, facing urban Aboriginal people, it is crucial that the governance and management of organiza-tions providing Aboriginal housing reflects Aboriginal culture and deeply understands the key factors driving the off-reserve housing demand in urban centres. The following are governance policy recom-mendations and linkages to increase the effectiveness of housing policy and the promotion of Aborigi-nal self-governance in Vancouver.

Figure 6. Identifying and engaging stakeholders from Vancouver’s Aboriginal communities in a multi-stakeholder planning process will enhance the effective-ness of Aboriginal housing policy.Source: Christopher J. Carter Photo


That the Federal Government fund and devolve housing authority to an Aboriginal organization with expertise in off-reserve Aboriginal housing. This institution would administer the funding and improvement of new and existing off-reserve housing stock in order to proactively respond to the disproportionate need for housing amongst urban Aboriginal peoples.

Considering the model set by BC Housing and AHMA as a best practice, con-tinue the devolution of authority from provincial housing management bodies to Aboriginal management organizations. In particular it should be noted that in order for this transfer of responsibility to be successful it must be accompanied with a transfer of knowledge and capacity. In the example, the BC Housing staff formerly responsible for the newly transferred housing stock were seconded to AHMA to ease the transition.

Develop strong links between housing governance and poverty reduction or-ganizations. While increased coordination of housing management will address some of the key housing issues facing urban Aboriginal peoples, additional con-tributors such as low incomes and lower labour force participation remain integral parts to finding sustainable and safe housing options in urban centres. NAHA calls for a plan that integrates comprehensive poverty reduction and a foundation of affordable and safe housing to begin the challenge of tackling the complex housing issues specific to urban Aboriginal peoples.

Create a national urban Aboriginal housing strategy to compliment a national housing strategy. The needs of urban Aboriginal peoples are unique and specific compared to the general population and as such, this demographic requires addi-tional care and consideration when developing housing strategy.

Increase engagement and foster inclusivity of urban Aboriginal residents in housing planning on both a provincial and municipal level.

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GOVERNANCE



5.3 Finance

The 582 Urban Aboriginal homeless people (31% of all homeless) identified by the 2014 Metro Vancouver Homeless Count demonstrate the pressing need to develop, and thus finance, many hun-dreds of off-reserve aboriginal housing units in Vancouver alone. Despite the over-representation of urban Aboriginal people in the under-housed population, Aboriginal Housing Societies operating in BC are consistently unable to successfully compete in bids to develop social housing. Capacity build-ing, advocacy for new and sustainable funding streams from all levels of government, and improved efficiency and financial planning are all essential to improving the state of urban Aboriginal housing in Vancouver.

Figure 7. Coast Salish Spindle Whorls increase and maintain the speed of spin-ning threads, sustained finance will ensure that the momentum of policy mak-ing and engagement realized results.Source: Wikimedia Commons


Prioritize the preservation and extension of existing Urban Native affordable housing assets and extend RGI subsidy through new rent supplements. If fund-ing remains short-term and unpredictable, capacity building amongst housing organizations and the creation of sustainable programs is rendered impossible. Without ongoing, secure subsidies from all levels of government, urban Aboriginal peoples will remain under-served in urban centres.

Increase collaboration between the City of Vancouver, host Nations (sḵwx̱wú7mesh, sel̓íl̓witulh, & xʷməθkʷəy̓əm) and Urban Aboriginal Housing Societies (facilitated by AHMA) in developing new housing. The declaration of Vancouver as a City of Reconciliation was a bold move towards a new relationship between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people in the region. Increased collabo-ration could include the expansion of the categories of costs/amenities covered by development cost charges and/or community amenity contributions explicitly include the provision of (or cash in lieu) of Aboriginal-managed urban Aboriginal housing units.

Increase opportunities for capacity building and mentorship by AHMA, lo-cal and senior governments or other request for proposal (RFP) issuing agen-cies for more successful RFP bid creation, WCB regulations, mild abatement, procurement processes, capital planning etc. An example might be the proven “Multi-Agency Model” of collaboration whereby a society, otherwise unable to bid successfully on an RFP, assembles a team of non-profits to submit a more attrac-tive collaborative proposal. This is financially advantageous not only because the organizations can pool their financial and other resources, but also because their collaborative effort can more convincingly ask for funding from multiple levels of government.

On behalf of local Aboriginal housing societies, allow AHMA to take the lead on liaising with/lobbying local municipalities (e.g. City of Vancouver) to lower water, utility and property tax costs as in-kind support for the service of key social housing in the city. In addition to lobbying for reduced service fees, AHMA would promote the waiving of development cost charges, permit fees, and other develop-ment permitting expenses charged by municipalities to promote Aboriginal hous-ing development.

Increase collaborative advocacy for new funding sources. Given the imminent expiry of existing Aboriginal housing operating agreements, it is imperative to find new funding sources to maintain momentum in addressing under-housed urban Aboriginal peoples. Each level of government retains some responsibility to solv-ing this urban housing crisis. NAHA advocates the Federal Government maintain fiduciary responsibility to Aboriginal persons, regardless of whether they choose to live on or off-reserve.

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Assist AHMA in creating a Capital Asset Management and Development (CAMD) arm to continue the work of BC Housing. Following the transfer of responsibility over Aboriginal housing from BC Housing to AHMA, there remains a need for a comprehensive study of the state of existing off-reserve Aboriginal housing stock in BC. Accurate and timely data assessing the current housing stock will enable the prioritization of new stock additions and thus more effective and targeted advocacy for additional funding. A comprehensive understanding of the state of the existing housing stock will also enable greater operational efficiency, tenancy management, building maintenance, revenue generation, and financial planning.

Accurately account for the number of urban Aboriginal peoples living in Vancouver. While the primary driver of the increased urban Aboriginal popula-tion is on-to-off reserve migration, factors such as ethnic mobility and an increase in self-identification affect the growing number of people considered Aboriginal within the region. Similar to the benefits of better understanding the state of the off-reserving housing stock, an understanding of the drivers of off-reserve migra-tion and reflection of the actual numbers of urban Aboriginal peoples will assist the funders and managers of housing anticipate and accurately respond to increas-ing demand.

Prepare reserve funds and financial plans for imminent expiry of housing so-cieties’ operating agreements and/or 99-year leases. Both the City of Vancouver and the province have a responsibility to provide greater certainty over land and identify new and strategically located lease opportunities for Aboriginal organiza-tions and housing.

Exercise objective 1.7 of AHMA’s Strategic Plan (2013, p. 10): “Assess the poten-tial to increase revenues by changing the CMHC rent scale used in Urban Native Housing Program to that of BC Housing.”

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6.0 INSTITUTIONALIZATION

A strategy is only as successful as its imple-mentation. While a multiplicity of planning pro-cesses around homelessness, affordable housing and aboriginal engagement in local development processes exist an Aboriginal housing strategy has the opportunity to cross cut a multitude of different processes, plans and processes.

Mainstreaming this strategy into current planning requires detailed knowledge of current legislation, institutional preferences and values, and prior-ity goals related to scarce resources. The following analysis aims to illustrate some next steps to ensure that an Aboriginal housing strategy can be carried through in Vancouver. Figure 8 aims to begin to illustrate clear pathways for Aboriginal housing mainstreaming into current initiatives and plan-ning processes.

It is important to remember that the implementa-tion of this strategy is to create opportunities , es-

tablish good governance and sustained finance so that urban Aboriginal individuals and communi-ties in Vancouver can access and experience secure, affordable and respectable housing.

Creating a Core Stakeholder Working Group can ensure the strategy retains relevance and buy in over time, sharing decision-making, allowing for priorities, targets, monitoring and evaluation to be drafted alongside those who will be impacted. Engaging active members of urban Aboriginal non governmental organizations, centres, health pro-viders, government agencies and other stakehold-ers and using this platform to inform implementa-tion and communication of strategy is central to a participatory approach to housing policy with Abo-riginal peoples in Vancouver.

Figure 4. illustrates active policy stakeholders in Aboriginal housing policy in Vancouver today and offers a starting place for core stakeholder planning engagement.

Figure 8. Salish woven fiber basket with duck motif. Institutionalization and arrangements are complex and interwoven, effective institutionalization of housing policy will address complexity while bring togeth-er people and processes.Source: Wikimedia Commons


Developing an Annual Implementation Plan (AIP) is an essential step to ensuring that actual staff-work plans, resources and capacity within the core groups are committed to specific actions in the aboriginal housing strategy. Key to this within a working stakeholder group is to clearly identify

-What actions need to be taken? -By whom? -What resources are needed? -What the proposed time line for completion? -How the community will have changed once each action is completed?

Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation To limit a gap or drift in implementation of thois strategy and to illustrate the impact ,monitoring and evaluation will be critical for success and poli-cy adaptation. Providing a relevant framework for assessing each major objective that is readily inte-grated into the economic development planning’s process and sources was the aim of our monitor-ing and evaluation strategy. To further engage the working group in a reflexive practice of set-ting goals, monitoring data will be collected yearly in collaboration with government ministries and participating stakeholders, gathering data and as-sessing performance and future directions. To be-gin this process stakeholders can identify relevant and attainable performance measures for each ob-jective and iteratively asess actions and programs gathering and using these measures(i.e. homeless count statistics or number of new aboriginal per-sons housed).

Figure 8. Opportunities for mainstreaming of presented Aboriginal housing strategy into current and ongoing City of Vancouver planning activities. Source: Created by SCARP planning team


Connections (2012)Cole Speck


7.0 CONCLUSION

The research and statistics are clear: urban Aboriginal peoples face increased barriers to accessing affordable, safe and secure housing than their non-Aboriginal counter-parts. This is especially true in the City of Vancouver, an urban centre with inflated housing costs and a quickly growing population of urban Aboriginal individuals and families.

Our policy recommendations towards creating a specific and targeted Aboriginal housing strategy follow a “Housing First” model, assuming that the key priority is to secure housing opportunities for individuals. Recognizing the complexity of housing issues, along with the systemic marginalization of Aboriginal peoples across Canada, a deeper understanding of the inter-connectedness between these issues as social, economic and cultural issues related to housing is critical to a lasting and meaningful change moving forward.

This will only be achieved through a comprehensive and collaborative cross-disciplinary approach that respectfully includes and honours the lived experiences of urban Aboriginal peoples. While housing is a necessary and crucial first step, it remains just that: the first step of many needed to create a more equitable and just urban environment.


8.0 REFERENCESCONTEXT & POLICY REVIEW

1. BC Housing. (n.d.). Aboriginal Housing Initiative. Retrieved from http://www.bchousing.org/Initiatives/Creating/AHI

2. BC Housing. (n.d.). Parterning with AHMA. Re-trieved from http://www.bchousing.org/Initiatives/Aboriginal_need/AHMA

3. BC Housing. (n.d.) The Urban Native Housing Program. Retrieved from http://www.bchousing.org/resources/Partner_Resources/Program_Resourc es/Urban_Native/Urban_Native_Housing_Operat-ing_Manual_Section01.pdf

4. Canadian Aboriginal AIDS Network (2010). Abo-riginal Housing in Canada: An Informal Background Discussion Paper. Retrieved from http://caan.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/CAAN_Aboriginal-housing-in-Canada_2010.pdf

5.Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). (2011). The Evolution of Social Housing. In Canadian Housing Observer 2011 (pp. 127-142).

6. City of Auckland. (2012). The Auckland Plan. Re-trieved from http://theplan.theaucklandplan.govt.nz/

7. City of Vancouver. (2012) Vancouver’s Housing and Homelessness Strategy: 3 Year Action Plan 2012-2014. Retrieved from http://vancouver.ca/files/cov/Hous-ing__Homelessness_Action_Plan_2012-2014.pdf

8. City of Vancouver. (2012) Vancouver’s Housing and Homelessness Strategy 2012- 2021. Retrieved from http://vancouver.ca/files/cov/Housing-and-Homeless- Strategy-2012-2021pdf.pdf.

9. Constitution Act. (1982). Schedule B to the Canada Act 1982(UK), 1982.

10. Dinsdale, Peter, White, Jerry, & Hanselmann, Cal-vin. (2011). Urban Aboriginal Communities in Cana-da: Complexities, Challenges, Opportunities. Toronto: Thompson Educational Publishing.

11.Environics Institute. (2010). Urban Aboriginal Peo-ples Study: Key Findings. Retrieved from http://www.uaps.ca/knowledge/key-findings/

12. Environics Institute. (2010). Urban Aboriginal Peo-ples Study: Main Report. Toronto: Environics Institute.

13. Greater Vancouver Regional Steering Committee on Homelessness. (2014). Results of the 2014 Homeless Count in the Metro Vancouver Region.

14. Hill, Charles W. (2010). Aboriginal Housing in Canada: an informal background discussion paper. Vancouver: Canadian Aboriginal Aids Network.

15. Metro Vancouver. (2007). Metro Vancouver Af-fordable Housing Strategy. Retrieved from http://www.metrovancouver.org/planning/development/housin-giversity/AffordableHousingStrategyDocs/Adopted-MetroVancAffordHousStrategyNov302007.pdf

16. Ministry of Energy, Mines, and Natural Gas and Minister Responsible for Housing. (2013). Aborigi-nal Housing Portfolio devolved to AHMA. Retrieved from http: //www.ahma-bc.org/whats-new/press-releases/2013EMNG0036- 000329.pdf

17. Patrick, Caryl. (2014). Aboriginal Homelessness in Canada: A Literature Review. Toronto: Canadian Homelessness Research Network Press.

18. Milligan, Shelly. (2010). 2006 Aboriginal popula-tion profile for Vancouver. Retrieved from http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/89-638-x/2010004/article/11085- eng.htm

19. Statistics Canada. (2006). 2006 Census: Aborigi-nal Peoples in Canada in 2006: Inuit, Métis and First Nations, 2006 Census: Highlights. Retrieved from http://www12.statcan.ca/census-recensement/2006/as-sa/97-558/p1-eng.cfm


8.0 REFERENCES

20. Statistics Canada. (2011). Aboriginal Peoples in Canada: First Nations People, Métis and Inuit. Retrieved from http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/nhs-enm/2011/as- sa/99-011-x/99-011-x2011001-eng.cfm

21. Statistics Canada. (2011). National Household Sur-vey Aboriginal Population Profile, Vancouver, CMA, British Columbia, 2011. Retrieved from http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/nhsenm/2011/dppd/aprof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CMA&Code1=933&Data=Count&SearchText=vancouver&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=59&A1=All&Custom=&TABID=1

22. Whangarei District Council. (n.d.) Planning for Pa-pakainga Housing. Retrieved from http://wdc.govt.nz/CommunitySafetyandSupport/Housing/Documents/Papakainga-housing-brochure.pdf

POLICY ANALYSIS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Aboriginal Housing Management Association. (2014) AHMA Gathering. Spring 2014 Issue. Retrieved from http://www.ahma-bc.org/whats-new/news-re-leases.php

2. Aboriginal Housing Management Association. (2013). Strategic Plan 2013 to 2018. Retrieved from http://www.ahma-bc.org/whats-new/news-releases.php

3. Doyle, V., C. Kasting. (2007). Closing the Gap: Housing Needs and Priorities of BC’s Urban Aborigi-nal People. Volumes I and II, prepared for Aboriginal Housing Management Association.

4. Greater Vancouver Regional Steering Committee on Homelessness. (2014). Results of the 2014 Homeless Count in the Metro Vancouver Region.

5. Ministry of Energy, Mines and Natural Gas and Minister Responsible for Housing (February 22, 2013) News Release: Aboriginal Housing portfolio devolved to AHMA. Retrieved from http://www.ahma-bc.org/whats-new/press-releases/2013EMNG0036-000329.pdf

6. National Aboriginal Housing Association. (2009). A Time for Action: A National Plan to Address Aborigi-nal Housing. Retrieved from http://www.cwp-csp.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/NAHA_Action_Plan_July_2009_FINAL.pdf


NOTES:

Towards an Aboriginal Housing Strategy in Vancouver Canada | 2014

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