The City of Calgary is helping to create First Nations housing through a $30 million funding program, officially called Maa’too’maa’taapii Aoko’iyii’piaya, which means ‘Indigenous First Nation Housing’ in Blackfoot. The announcement was made at a media conference at the Calgary Municipal Building attended by First Nations representatives, as well as Mayor Jyoti Gondek and outgoing Ward 8 Cllr. Courtney Walcott. “This work is reconciliation in practice. It’s equity in action, and it’s an investment in the future that we all must build together, because when every Calgarian has a safe place to call home, our city is stronger, it is more fair and it is much more resilient,” said Gondek, adding the program is part of the city’s Home is Here strategy. The program is designed to support the planning, building and construction of an estimated 150 to 350 new housing units, under the banner of "Indigenous, by Indigenous." “We are used to having programs created for us, and this Indigenous housing program is created with us and in line with the housing strategy, but more importantly, in line with our community, with our elders, with their guidance, through recommendations, to build this,” said Samantha Efthimiou, team lead for Indigenous Housing with the City of Calgary, adding the announcement was the start of a new beginning for housing programs in the city. .The program has two levels of operation, one being funding support for engagement and planning, up to $150,000, and the other is up to 40% of eligible capital costs for indigenous-led, non-market housing developments in Calgary. “For generations, our people have been denied access to housing that is affordable and culturally safe,” said Elder Jackie Bromley, part of the Elder Advisory Committee. “Too often, decisions were made for us, not with us. This program changes that story. Indigenous people will lead this work with the city to house our indigenous people. That is reconciliation in action.” At the conference, it was revealed indigenous Calgarians comprise 3% of the city’s population and yet, are more than 41% of the homeless population. According to the city, more than 3,800 indigenous households are currently in housing need, with more than 70% of those households having annual incomes of less than $20,000, meaning they need rent of $500 or less for housing to be affordable. The city will begin reviewing applications for funding in the coming week to ensure successful applicants are committed to building culturally sensitive housing for indigenous Calgarians. The housing will be a place they can smudge with being judged, with room for communion together and conducting naming ceremonies without questions being asked, said Efthimiou. .“I am honoured to walk alongside with our elders, our leaders and our community in bringing this program to life,” she said. Walcott commented the program is an example of taking one of the points of the Home is Here strategy and turning it into action. “We love the housing strategy. We love to talk about the housing strategy, but it never stopped there, and it won’t stop after this. It keeps going. The work has to keep continuing,” he said.
