Housing for Off-Reserve Indigenous Families
The Investment in Affordable Housing for Ontario program (IAH) has provided $480.6 million in federal and provincial funding for the creation and repair of affordable housing over four years. Of this funding, $26.4 million over 3 years has been committed to supporting Aboriginal families living off-reserve.
On August 11, 2014, both the federal and provincial government jointly announced the extension of the IAH for an additional five years with over $801 million in new funding. Of this new funding, $44.1 million of this new funding will be dedicated to an Off-Reserve Aboriginal Housing component
The province is working in partnership with two Aboriginal organizations to administer the funding. Ontario Aboriginal Housing Services (OAHS) is delivering the program outside of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and the Miziwe Biik Development Corporation (MBDC) in the GTA.
The Off-Reserve Aboriginal Housing component consists of new affordable rental units, home ownership loans and repair funding (only available outside of the GTA).
These housing components build on the success of the $80.2 million Off-Reserve Aboriginal Housing Trust 2009 program for Aboriginal families living off-reserve. The program was established after Aboriginal organizations conducted community consultations on off-reserve housing needs and provided the Ontario government with recommendations. Aboriginal peoples and organizations continue to have the key role in determining how best to provide affordable housing in their off-reserve communities.