RECONCILIATION: MOVING FORWARD TOGETHER - SUPPORTING RECONCILIATION
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Diversify the Housing Stock:
Improve the Quality of Housing:
Incorporate Indigenous Needs into Housing Design: • Each community is unique. Therefore, the housing design should fit their specific needs and values. • Many Indigenous communities like to gather with family, so the design should consider ways to meet those needs (e.g. larger kitchens).
Most staff agreed that BC Housing addresses Indigenous housing needs through providing funding and programs, assisting with research to identify Indigenous housing gaps and needs, and collaborating with Indigenous Nations, communities, and organizations to create new homes or repair existing ones. Nearly half of the staff interviewed highlighted that BC Housing provides support to Indigenous Nations, communities, and organizations through the Indigenous Housing Fund. A couple of staff shared that BC Housing is building the capacity of Indigenous Nations, communities, and organizations by providing educational opportunities to learn about topics such as how to preserve the life of a building and its assets. In reality, building capacity needs to be undertaken in collaboration between BC Housing and Indigenous Nations, communities, and organizations. It is important to seek the feedback of Indigenous communities and organizations regarding how these educational opportunities have worked and being supportive of how the outcomes are implemented. One respondent also mentioned that BC Housing is conducting a pilot project to create modular housing inclusive of cultural supports. 7.3.2.2 Areas for Improvement The most common areas for improvement noted by staff with respect to addressing Indigenous housing needs included providing more flexibility in funding program requirements, addressing structural barriers within BC Housing, and increasing collaboration with Indigenous Nations, communities. Addressing Inherent Structural Barriers We heard that BC Housing needs more dedicated resources within the organization to advance reconciliation. Specifically, staff mentioned the following needs: − Expand staff resourcing of the organization’s Indigenous Relations and Indigenous Asset Management departments, and the Reconciliation Strategy Steering Committee; Why This Is Important These are important reflective comments. Further exploration of these topics requires fulsome engagement with Indigenous Nations, communities, and organizations. They are important and complex topics requiring dialogue and specificity.
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