The B.C. government has transferred 428 properties for First Nations people living off reserve to three aboriginal housing organizations.
Under an agreement between the province and the Aboriginal Housing Management Association, responsibility for off-reserve housing is being transferred to three aboriginal housing groups:
- 306 units in Northern B.C., the South Cariboo and the Sunshine Coast to M’akola Housing Society;
- 97 units in the Kootenays and the Okanagan to Kamloops Native Housing Society; and
- 25 units in the Fraser Valley to the Mamele’awt Queensome Housing Society.
Housing for First Nations living on reserve is a federal mandate. However, in the 1990s, the federal government handed over responsibility for native people living off-reserve to the province, which has been, in turn, transferring responsibility to First Nations housing authorities.
Since 2004, more than 4,200 housing units have been transferred to AHMA.
“The final transfer of the ownership and management of the rural native housing from government to aboriginal housing providers is another demonstration of our commitment to safe, affordable and culturally appropriate social housing for aboriginal peoples,” said Ida Chong, Minister of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation.
“This aboriginal self-management model is the first of its kind in Canada and better serves the needs of aboriginal peoples in British Columbia.”
Ruth Williams, president of Kamloops Native Housing Society, said, “As housing providers, we want housing solutions for aboriginal people, and we believe that having a team of aboriginal providers and managers such as AHMA, we can feel connected as a group while incorporating our traditional values in the delivery of affordable housing.”
