The Aboriginal Housing Society recently received $34,997,000 in funding from the federal government for its Buffalo Lodge project in Lethbridge, Alta., which will provide affordable housing for Indigenous people.
According to Melissa Many Fingers, vice chair and treasurer for the Aboriginal Housing Society, members of the Indigenous community often encounter challenges when they must move off their reserve for work, schooling, or whatever life may require of them.
“We’re hit with racism and stereotyping,” said Many Fingers. “We’re also learning in an urban setting, and that in itself is difficult to overcome.”
Known as Iinii?toyis in Blackfoot, Buffalo Lodge aims to address these obstacles by providing a “community within a community,” mirroring the same feelings of comfort and safety its residents had at home on the reserve. Many Fingers says the housing will also meet the demands of a demographic that’s “being missed” due to the housing crisis across the country.
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“It’s that demographic is trying to attain a better life,” said Many Fingers. “They don’t qualify for low-income (support), but they’re working hard just to pay rent.”
Though it was a long and difficult journey to obtain financial support, Many Fingers says contributions from the City of Lethbridge and National Indigenous Collaborative Housing Incorporated (NICHI), along with the federal government’s investment, have made the now fully-funded project possible.
Offering 132 units, from one to three bedrooms, that will house students, bachelors, families and elders, Iinii?toyis will open its doors to on Sept. 1.