More Indigenous homes

Cache Creek and Merritt are among the locations in B.C. in which approximately 1,600 new affordable rental homes are being built through partnerships between the province, through BC Housing, and Indigenous non-profit housing providers.

The province last week announced the second set of homes selected through the Building BC Indigenous Housing Fund (IHF), including 41 on- and off-reserve projects that will provide 1,662 affordable rental homes.

In Cache Creek, eight homes at 2710 and 2712 Sage Hill Rd. are being built in partnership with Bonaparte First Nation, while in Merritt 50 homes are being constructed in partnership with the Conayt Friendship Society at a yet to be disclosed address.

In total, there will be 667 on-reserve homes for First Nations members and 995 off-reserve homes for Indigenous people, the province announced in a press release.

The IHF is a $1.7-billion provincial program, administered by BC Housing, to support government’s target of delivering 3,500 homes for Indigenous families, elders, individuals and people with disabilities on and off reserve.

Under the program, proposals were submitted by Indigenous non-profit housing providers, First Nations, other Indigenous organizations, non-profit and for-profit developers working in partnership with Indigenous organizations and First Nations.

The units developed are rent-geared-to-income, meaning residents will pay approximately 30 per cent of their gross household income. Rents vary based on actual tenant incomes. For projects on reserve, fixed rents may be considered for projects.

"With each new home built through the Indigenous Housing Fund, we are taking meaningful action to address the critical need for culturally supportive shelter and foster a lasting vision of community and resilience for First Nations in British Columbia,” Regional Chief Terry Teegee of the BC Assembly of First Nations said in a press release.

When the IHF was launched in 2018, B.C. became the first and only province in Canada to invest in First Nations’ housing on reserve, a federal jurisdiction, a provincial press release stated. With this latest project selection, more than 3,220 IHF homes are now open or underway throughout B.C.