Indigenous Shelters and Transitional Housing

Indigenous Shelter and Transitional Housing Initiative (Closed Mar 2024)
Community Development: Funding Opportunity

 

 

 

Indigenous Shelter and Transitional Housing Initiative

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) and Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) will fund the building of 38 shelters and 50 transitional homes for the comprehensive Violence Prevention Strategy for Canada's First Nations, Inuit, and Metis people. Applications will be accepted until March 2024.

The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) will allocate $420 million over five years, and Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) will invest $304.1 million annually to support the operational costs of the new buildings. They are also expanding the funding for culturally relevant violent prevention activities.

This is a step towards the Federal Pathway to Address Violence Against Indigenous Women and Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people and respond to the Calls of Justice and the final report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls by developing and funding the shelters and transitional homes for the women and children and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people escaping gender-based violence.

In January 2021, the Government of Canada committed to funding the construction and ongoing operation of Inuit-specific shelters for women and their children and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people. These shelters will be located across Inuit Nunangat and urban centers. The funding is also a part of the comprehensive Violence Prevention Strategy.

The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) and Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) will continue to work with Pauktuutit and Inuit partners to organize this initiative. For information on Inuit shelters, a guide, and an application they are available on Pauktuutit's website.

Indigenous Organizations and Governments across Canada are eligible to apply. 

To Apply:

1. Please consult the Application Guide - Indigenous Shelters and Transition Housing Initiative (cmhc-schl.gc.ca) 

The guide contains:

  • The overview of the mandatory requirements 
  • Information on the Online Application Process, including capital costs and operating process 

2. Complete the Indigenous Shelters and Transitional Housing Initiative - Mandatory Application Worksheet (cmhc-schl.gc.ca) 

3. Complete the Integrity Declaration Form: cmhc-schl.gc.ca

4. Upload your application, mandatory application worksheet, and the integrity declaration form to the attachments section of the application. 

  • If you do not have internet, you can request an offline PDF version from your Indigenous & the North Housing Solution Specialist. 

You can submit your application through the CMHC portal. The submission will remain open continually until March 2024. The ongoing application process will select eligible applications in phases at least twice a year. 

The representatives from the selection committee evaluating the eligible applications are: 

  • Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation 
  • Indigenous Service Canada 
  • First Nation Organizations 
  • Inuit Organizations 
  • Metis Organizations 
  • Indigenous 2LGBTQQIA+ people 
  • Indigenous Urban Communities 
  • Subject matter experts 
  • Persons with lived experience in a shelter or transitional homes 

For the evaluation process and selection of projects, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation and Indigenous Service Canada (ISC) and input from Indigenous organizations and subject matter experts formed committees used the Evaluation Criteria: Shelters Initiative for Indigenous Women and Children (cmhc-schl.gc.ca) to apply a consistent approach to determine the pool of projects being considered for funding. The committees ensure the budget goes to 38 shelters and 50 transitional homes.

 

Indigenous Shelter and Transitional Housing
(Table Above: The Selected Projects at a Glance)

 

In the first review, there were 28 eligible applicants; 12 received funding for construction and ongoing operational support. 

The second review for 2022 started September 12, 2022, and more projects will be announced by the end of the year.

Another review will be from January 23, 2023, to mid march 2023. The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation anticipates that they will accept applications until March 2024. An Inuit-led selection committee will review applications for Inuit-specific shelter and transitional housing projects, and the committee will provide an update for these Inuit shelters. 

By: Tricia Cook, Content Navigator

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