The City of Calgary will be providing $6 million for Indigenous affordable housing projects as part of its new Indigenous Affordable Housing Funding Program (IAHFP).
According to a Monday news release, the funding aims to increase the supply of affordable housing for Indigenous people in Calgary. It is a one-time funding program for affordable housing projects that is designed for and delivered for Indigenous people and owned by Indigenous people.
A Statistics Canada study published in May 2022 found Indigenous people are at an elevated risk for homelessness.
Around 12 per cent of First Nations people, 10 per cent of Inuit and six per cent of Métis surveyed in 2018 said they have experienced unsheltered homeless in the past compared with two per cent of non-Indigenous people, Statistics Canada said.
According to Mayor Jyoti Gondek, nearly a third of those experiencing homelessness in Calgary are Indigenous.
“One of the most important investments we can make for Calgary’s future is in affordable housing,” Gondek said in an emailed statement.
“This funding is an important first step in our work to directly address the high need for affordable housing for Indigenous people,” says Tim Ward, the city’s housing solutions manager.
“By providing this funding, we are supporting Indigenous people with their housing needs and making a meaningful commitment to reconciliation.”
Applications for this year’s IAHFP intake will be accepted starting on National Truth and Reconciliation Day (Sept. 30) until Nov. 30. Information sessions will be held for groups interested in applying for funding.
Successful applicants will be notified early next year, the city said.
More information about the IAHFP can be found on the city’s official website.
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