RECONCILIATION: MOVING FORWARD TOGETHER - BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS
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What We Heard INDIGENOUS NATIONS, COMMUNITIES, AND ORGANIZATIONS
6.3.1.1 Nature of BC Housing’s Relationships More than half of the forty-four Indigenous Nations, communities, and organizations that provided input described their relationship
“They made sure we were okay during the COVID-19 state of emergency. They sent us masks, gloves, and laptops. – Indigenous Housing Provider
with BC Housing as being positive. Respondents used the words good,
respectful, and supportive to describe the nature of these relationships. We heard that BC Housing provides support through the following ways:
• Being accessible and responsive by phone, email, and in-person visits; • Providing funding (e.g. grants, capital funding programs); • Sharing information about the available funding programs; and, • Explaining the processes for applying to funding programs. Several people mentioned that the organization is very open, flexible, and attentive. They noted that BC Housing is taking the time to listen and communicate with them. Multiple respondents expressed that BC Housing is responsive to their emails and phone calls. One fourth (11 out of 44) of the Indigenous Nations, communities, and organizations interviewed suggested that their relationship with BC Housing exists in a more formal or indirect manner. Several respondents
Why This Is Important There were mixed perspectives shared regarding relationships with BC Housing. This inconsistency means that BC Housing needs to examine what makes the relationships successful and what are the barriers to achieving greater success. For example, the reference to having imbalanced (power imbalanced) and transactional relationships speaks to the existence of colonial practices where Indigenous communities are not able to support self- determination.
mentioned that they work mostly through the Aboriginal Housing Management Association (AHMA) or that they operate at a distance from BC Housing. A few respondents also indicated that they only communicate with BC Housing for the purposes of reporting or receiving updates. We heard from some people that their relationships with BC Housing felt imbalanced or transactional. For example, a couple of people mentioned ways in which BC Housing asserts control over them, including through imposing processes that do not belong to the communities/organizations or by requiring monthly reporting. Another respondent noted that
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