First Nations Housing History

This presentation that explores First Nations and Aboriginal homelessness trends in Canada was one of five presentations to officially launch the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness (COH). The COH builds on the work of the Canadian Homelessness Research Network (CHRN) and introduces a program of research that includes local, provincial and national monitoring activities, as well as original research that addresses key issues in homelessness. COH includes researchers, service providers, policy and decision makers, people with lived experience of homelessness as well as graduate and undergraduate students from across Canada with a passion for social justice issues and a desire to solve homelessness in our communities.

Breathing Room: Solutions for Attawapiskat is an examination of the problem of mould growth in conventionally stud-framed residential buildings in Attawapiskat, Ontario; it proposes solutions using resistant wood-based wall assemblies in construction.  The background research is from primary and secondary data sources, and forms the basis of selection for the suggested solution wall assemblies. 
          A practical experiment of six weeks duration was used to test a standard 2” x 6” stud-framed wall, a CLT (cross-laminated timber) wall, SIPs (structural insulated panel) wall, and a NDW (wood- fibre) panel wall.  These walls were assembled into a small shed measuring approximately 4’x4’x4’, mounted on an insulated 2” x 6” stud-framed base, and covered with an insulated 2” x 6” stud-framed roof.  The roof was finished with asphalt shingles, and the exterior walls were covered in aluminum siding.  A lamp and a hot-water vaporizer were mounted inside the shed to provide heat and humidity, and both were cycled on/off at 8-12 hour periods.  The experiment subjected the selected walls to extremes of humidity with adequate warmth in order to accelerate mould growth.
          The final results show that both the NDW wall and the CLT wall had similarly low mould growth by area, and low concentrations of mould where seen.  However, although the CLT wall showed most of its mould growth within the first three weeks of testing, the NDW wall did not develop growth until after the three week inspection.  Because of this resistance to initial growth, the NDW wall is recommended for future residential construction in Attawapiskat, and other comparable communities.

This paper explores the current state of urban Aboriginal housing in Canada, by providing an up-to-date mapping of national urban Aboriginal housing conditions. This paper demonstrates that home ownership helps to reduce the gap between mainstream and Aboriginal rates of core housing need, for Aboriginal renters are substantially worse off than their non-Aboriginal counterparts in terms of core housing need and overcrowding. Métis and Non-Status Indians are also more likely to become homeowners than Status Indians and Inuit. A cyclical process is identified that hinders urban Aboriginal homeownership and home rental advancement is also discussed. Existing federal housing programs are inadequate to address the housing and homeless issues identified. We highlight the need to establish proactive policies, the goal being to facilitate individual transition into urban centres thereby helping to ameliorate existing housing disparities.