“We have a massive crisis in housing across northern Canada in indigenous communities.”Crowded, unhealthy living conditions have been one of the main causes identified in youth suicide crises in remote, northern First Nations communities. For example: In order to bring the number of people living in each home on a reserve down to the Canadian average of 2.5 persons per home, an additional 80,000 First Nations homes are needed right now. And yet, the 2016 federal budget provided funding for First Nations housing of just $206.6 million, enough to pay for just 300 new homes, the servicing of 340 new housing lots, and renovations to 1,400 homes. Documents filed in a recent Canadian Human Rights Tribunal case pegged the value of the current housing shortfall on First Nations across Canada at $6 billion. The housing crisis on First Nations is expected to be addressed in the Liberal government’s yet-to-be released National Housing Strategy.

Source: National Post September 25, 2016 21:56 UTC