Saskatoon, feds spending $7.5M to create affordable housing for Indigenous people
The City of Saskatoon and the federal government are spending $7.5 million to create 32 affordable units between two buildings under the expanded Rapid Housing Initiative (RHI).
All the units are being made to support Indigenous people and nine of the units will be for Indigenous women and their children, a news release from the city said.
The first building for Cress Housing Corporation will be at 115 Columbian Place and the building for the Central Urban Metis Federation Inc. will be located at 1520 19th St. W.
The announcement was made Friday afternoon during a virtual Zoom press conference.
Saskatoon Tribal Council (STC) Chief Mark Arcand says he was overwhelmed with joy when he heard the news.
He says the city has a high rate of homelessness and that RHI is a stepping stone investment to help more people that are in need.
“But along with that need of housing comes all the mental health and addiction support and that kind of stuff that’s really important on the trauma side, because we know a lot of Indigenous people, they’ve been affected by residential schools,” Arcand said during the conference.
Arcand says STC plans for a two-storey 18-unit facility that will house single men who are disproportionately represented in the homeless population.
The building will be located in the core area of Saskatoon that is close to the STC House Centre Services where people can access the needle exchange program, elder services and other programs that will "help make a difference in people's lives," Arcand said.
Shirley Isbister with Central Urban Metis Foundation Inc. (CUMFI) says homes with many bedrooms are a major need in the city as Indigenous families often have many children.
“It’s a huge day for us and to be a part of the upcoming housing and to be able to know what we’re going to be securing and building the homes for Indigenous people,” Isbister said.
“It’s in the core area of Saskatoon and we work with so many families so this is going to be an amazing step in this community.”
Both projects are expected to be completed by November 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
This iconic Canadian song is turning 50
Andy Kim's 'Rock Me Gently' is marking a major milestone, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Oprah Winfrey: I set an unrealistic standard for dieting
Oprah Winfrey said on Thursday evening that she has long played a role in promoting unhealthy and unrealistic diets.
Prince Harry, Meghan arrive in Nigeria to champion the Invictus Games and meet with wounded soldiers
Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, arrived in Nigeria on Friday to champion the Invictus Games, which he founded to aid the rehabilitation of wounded and sick servicemembers and veterans, among them Nigerian soldiers fighting a 14-year war against Islamic extremists.
Countries struggle to draft 'pandemic treaty' to avoid mistakes made during COVID
After the coronavirus pandemic triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies and killed millions, leaders at the World Health Organization and worldwide vowed to do better in the future. Years later, countries are still struggling to come up with an agreed-upon plan for how the world might respond to the next global outbreak.
Toronto police called to Drake's Bridle Path mansion for another alleged intruder on Thursday
Toronto police say a man who allegedly attempted to access Drake’s Bridle Path property was taken to hospital on Thursday after an altercation with security guards.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Flat tire on a highway? Here's why you shouldn't try to fix it
If you're cruising down a highway and realize you have a flat tire, you may want to think twice before stopping to fix it on the side of the road.
Storm-battered U.S. South is again under threat. A boy swept into a drain fights for his life
Dangerous storms crashed over parts of the U.S. South on Thursday even as the region cleaned up from earlier severe weather that spawned tornadoes, killed at least three people, and gravely injured a boy who was swept into a storm drain as he played in a flooded street.