Lax Kw'alaams receives provincial funding for Both On and Off Reserve Housing initiatives

The Provincial government rolled out its latest plan to address housing concerns across British Columbia, introducing the Building BC Indigenous Housing Fund on Saturday, a program which in its initial round of funding will see nearly 780 off reserve homes; and close to 370 on reserve developed.

The program is part of a 10 year year, 550 million dollar commitment that will eventually see 1,750 new units of social housing for Indigenous people put in place, with 1, 143 of the new homes to be built within the next two to four years.

“The housing situation facing Indigenous peoples in British Columbia is unacceptable,  ... Through these new homes, we are working together with First Nations, the Aboriginal Housing Management Association and Indigenous housing providers to take an important step toward addressing this critical need in every corner of the province.” -- Selina Robinson, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

In the Northwest there are a range of housing plans soon to go into motion.

On the North Coast the Lax Kw'alaams community will see significant progress in housing, with sixteen million dollars put forward for both on and off reserve housing initiatives:

On Reserve -- Lax Kw'alaams will receive 4 million dollars for the WAAP Housing Society for twenty new homes in the community.

Off Reserve -- 12 million dollars has been put forward for housing in Prince Rupert, through the Lax Kw'alaams WAAP Housing Society, the funding to be used for development of 60 homes.

Elsewhere in the Northwest and on Haida Gwaii the housing plans include:

Kitamaat Village -- 7.5 million to Ma'kola Housing Society for 23 on-reserve homes
Terrace -- $9.6 million to M'akola Housing Society for 48 off reserve homes
Skidegate -- $4.8 million to the Skidegate Band Council for 24 on-reserve homes
Witset -- $5.2 million to the Witset First Nation for 26 on-reserve homes

On the Central coast the Heiltsuk Tribal Council will receives 1.2 million dollars for six on-reserve homes in the community of Bella Bella.

No time lines for development of the housing proposals were  outlined as part of Saturday's information release, you can review more of the details from it here.

For more background on housing in the Northwest see our archive page here.


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