RECONCILIATION: MOVING FORWARD TOGETHER - SUPPORTING RECONCILIATION
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Indigenous Nations, communities, and organizations. However, capacity-building is a broad term and needs definition and clarification. Three respondents suggested that addressing Indigenous housing needs will require working together with other government bodies (provincial and municipal), as well as others in the private sector. This statement reflects the need for partnerships to support the housing needs of Indigenous Nations, communities, and organizations. The ability to develop partnerships means ongoing collaboration and dialogue. “I have heard from a number of people who are working with Indigenous communities that while BC Housing provides a lot of money, the communities themselves don’t have enough staff resources to implement the funding. That is a key miss – we need to be building capacity within the community. – BC Housing Staff Member “BC Housing is attempting to address the existing housing issues and needs of BC’s Indigenous population, but it is everyone’s problem, and we need municipalities and governments working alongside us. We need the private sector to be involved. – BC Housing Staff Member
Why This Is Important Indigenous self-determination is a fundamental concept within UNDRIP and TRC’s Calls to Action. It is the idea that Indigenous peoples have the right to freely determine their political status and pursue their economic, cultural, and social development (UNDRIP). Often, this concept is interpreted as applying only to Nation-to-Nation relationships. However, it is important to not discount the experiences of the urban Indigenous population who are not captured in those types of relationships. These approaches are all important aspects of self- determination and supporting Indigenous control over housing. Demonstrating what these actions actually mean is important - talking about how to implement action is different than discussing broad concepts.
7.3.2.3 Indigenous Self-Determination When asked how BC Housing involves Indigenous Nations, communities, and organizations in the decision-making and planning processes of development projects on their traditional territories, many staff shared that BC Housing is undertaking the following approaches: − Seeking guidance from Indigenous Nations, communities, and organizations by inviting them to provide input into the decisions being made with respect to individual housing projects; − Working collaboratively and closely with Indigenous Nations, communities, and organizations to make decisions together; and, − Making room for Indigenous Nations, communities, and organizations to take the lead on decisions within individual housing projects. Significantly, over half of the staff interviewed suggested that BC Housing’s collaborative approaches to project planning demonstrates its commitment to involving Indigenous Nations, communities, and organizations in decision-making processes. Several respondents mentioned
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