A well-established housing program is key to improving the lives of First Nations peoples living on reserves. Unfortunately, many communities struggle to maintain an adequate supply of quality, affordable homes. The issue is complex with many contributing factors and repercussions.
Reserves are land set aside for Aboriginal people by the Crown, and are typically located in remote areas. These circumstances make it difficult for people to access various public services and gain employment off-reserve. For this reason, many people choose to live off-reserve, where opportunities for employment and a better quality of life exist.
Some non-Aboriginal Canadians argue that reserves should be converted to fee simple lands, where people own their houses and property. This view is based on western notions of private property and assumes that the only way to overcome reserve challenges is for Aboriginal peoples to assimilate into Canadian society and adopt non-Aboriginal ways of life.
The government has provided a variety of programs and initiatives to help address the shortage of affordable housing on reserves, including formula-based support for housing and proposal-based funding. These efforts have had some short-term successes, but have not resulted in long-term broad improvements. This evaluation explores the reasons for this and examines the effectiveness of related government programs. reserve residences