Bringing Indigenous People Home: Decolonizing through Indigenous-led Community Housing

Abstract

Indigenous peoples make up 4.9% of the entire Canadian population, yet between 28-34% of people experiencing homelessness identify as Indigenous. Adequate housing has been recognized as a human right within Canadian law, and investment in community housing is a key mechanism for the federal government to fulfill its redistributive role, ensuring equity for all Canadians. This research seeks to expand our understanding of community housing led by Indigenous organizations by identifying what Indigenous-led community housing organizations need from housing policy in order to serve Indigenous peoples successfully.

Using an Indigenist research paradigm, this project centres on Indigenous ways of knowing, being, and doing and is built upon a framework of decolonization and relational accountability. Specific methods include decolonial participatory action research and OCAP (ownership, control, access, and possession) by the Indigenous communities engaged in the research.

In a community-led, relationship-focused approach, workshops will be held with Indigenous-led community housing organizations in Alberta, Canada. The researcher and the community will co-develop a vision and strategy that leads to greater access to housing for Indigenous peoples and ultimately, decolonization.