AHMA: 2025-26 Federal Budget Submission

Press Release

List of Recommendations

Recommendation 1

That the federal government follow through on its Budget 2023 commitment to release the remaining $2.8 Billion dollars in funding to the National Indigenous Housing Collaborative Inc (NICHI) to meet the critical URN Indigenous housing need across Canada and implement a co-developed URN Indigenous Housing Strategy.

Recommendation 2

That the federal government provide AHMA with $200,000 to conduct a feasibility study that would support our membership to effectively transition their Urban Native Housing (UNH) housing operating agreements that are set to expire in 2028. Additional funding is required to further protect existing housing stock by addressing the $250M backlog in capital renewals.

Recommendation 3

That CMHC provide funding for the implementation of the Indigenous Youth Housing Strategy; this would include funding for an internal Youth Housing Team.

Recommendation 4

That federal investment in affordable housing and homelessness programs include targeted streams dedicated to supporting Indigenous housing for women and girls fleeing violence; this is in alignment with the findings from the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) and the 231 calls to action.

About AHMA

The Aboriginal Housing Management Association (AHMA) was established in 1996 with a mission to “lead and advance housing rights for all Indigenous Peoples in British Columbia.” AHMA is comprised of 58 Indigenous housing and service providers located across BC. These members manage more than 95% of all Indigenous housing units in urban, rural, and northern areas of the province (off reserve). AHMA administers funds – in partnership with BC Housing – for over 6,400 units that house First Nations, Métis, Inuit, non-status, and self-identified Indigenous families living off reserve. AHMA will also administer funds for an additional 1,700 units that are currently in development.

In the face of a very unstable economic and environmental outlook, it is critically important to ensure public wellness, safety and stability —all of which are improved through housing. AHMA would like to ensure that the housing needs of Indigenous people living off reserve are considered in the 2025 federal budget. This is critically important given the disproportionately high rates of core housing need and homelessness experienced by Indigenous people living off reserve.

AHMA is pleased to provide our 2025 Federal Budget submission to the newly elected government.

Recommendation 1

That the federal government follow through on its Budget 2023 commitment to release the remaining $2.8 Billion dollars in funding to the National Indigenous Housing Collaborative Inc (NICHI) to meet the critical URN Indigenous housing need across Canada and implement a co-developed URN Indigenous Housing Strategy.

AHMA recognizes the unprecedented financial challenges impacting the Federal government at this time of geopolitical and economic uncertainty. Taking this into account, AHMA is not requesting any new funds be allocated in Budget 2025 to fund Urban, Rural and Northern (URN) Indigenous Housing. Instead, we are asking the federal government to honour their commitment promised in the Budget 2023 that allocated $4 billion in funding. This funding was supposed to be released in 2024-2025 budget cycle, but only part of this funding was released to distinction-based First Nations and Métis partners. The $2.8 Billion set aside for URN Indigenous housing has not yet been allocated.

Currently, hundreds of URN Indigenous housing projects sit idle due to the delayed release of these funds, even though NICHI has a proven track record of efficiently administering this type of funding to established URN Indigenous housing providers for immediate positive impact. NICHI was specifically created as an Indigenous-led entity to deliver these funds and has already identified $2 billion in shovel-ready housing projects for urgent, and unmet need.

While housing remains a core priority across all First Nations and Indigenous communities the vast majority of Indigenous people live off reserve in urban and rural communities. In BC, 75% of individuals that identify as Indigenous live in urban and rural communities across the province. In the 1970’s, URN housing providers emerged in response to the need to provide housing for Indigenous people and families living away from home. Together, our sector built a network of independent housing organizations to provide to safe, affordable, and culturally supported housing for Indigenous people in URN environments.

However, the demand for URN housing has outstripped the supply, due to growing numbers of Indigenous people living in municipalities and not on reserve. In BC, anywhere from 30-80% of people experiencing homelessness are Indigenous despite being only 7% of the

population. Indigenous people are disproportionately represented in the at-risk of homelessness population and are 13 times more likely than non-Indigenous people to experience homelessness. Without action, current estimates project that an additional Indigenous households will form. Of these, 4,248 households are expected to require affordable housing, leading to a total housing need of 23,089 households (AHMA 2024).

The continued delay of funding dedicated to support URN housing providers will only exacerbate existing issues, and result in increased costs. Immediately releasing these funds is not only a step towards reconciliation and relationship building, but is a critical investment in building strong, stable and resilient Indigenous communities that can contribute to Canada’s future prosperity.

Recommendation 2

That the federal government provide AHMA with $200,000 to conduct a feasibility study that would support our membership to effectively transition their Urban Native Housing (UNH) housing operating agreements, which are set to expire in 2028. Additional funding is required to further protect existing housing stock by addressing a $250M backlog in capital renewals in BC alone.

The Urban Native Housing (UNH) Program has been the primary source of federal funding for urban Indigenous housing providers, enabling the creation and maintenance of long-term, affordable housing for urban Indigenous people. Through the UNH program, Indigenous organizations receive financial assistance to own and operate rent-geared-to-income (RGI) rental housing. Currently, AHMA members manage 1,738 units under UNH Operating Agreements, providing safe, affordable homes for an estimated 4,633 people.

While the federal government extended UNH subsidies through the National Housing Strategy, these operating agreements are scheduled to expire in 2028. To date, neither the federal nor provincial governments have committed to a replacement program to support urban Indigenous housing providers beyond this date. This looming gap has raised significant concerns that, without continued financial and operational support, providers will be unable to sustain these critical housing units.

Now is not the time to risk losing long-standing, deeply affordable housing and placing thousands of Indigenous tenants at greater risk of homelessness. The expiry of UNH agreements—without a viable replacement subsidy or adequate transition support—could have catastrophic consequences, including the involuntary displacement of tenants and the erosion of affordable Indigenous housing stock.

Some housing societies are already developing UNH transition plans, but implementing them without unhousing tenants will require time, support, and resources. Years of chronic underfunding have left many units in need of repair, further complicating the path forward.

AHMA also needs resources to assist members with renewing and protecting existing housing through capital renewal funding that goes well beyond Urban Native Housing (UNH) units. In BC alone, there is currently a $250 million backlog capital renewals.

Dedicated federal funding for UNH transition planning and capital renewals is urgently needed. With appropriate support, AHMA and its members can strategically plan for the end of the UNH agreements, mitigate risk to tenants, and protect hard-won gains in urban Indigenous housing.

Recommendation 3

That CMHC provide funding for the implementation of the Indigenous Youth Housing Strategy, this would include funding for Youth Housing Team.

Indigenous youth are the fastest growing demographic across the province of BC. The ongoing impacts and intergenerational trauma due to colonization continue to impact Young Indigenous Peoples (YIPs), resulting in a disproportionate number of YIPs involved in care, experiencing homelessness, or using substances1. Amongst young people captured in Point in Time (PIT) counts in BC, Indigenous youth are more likely to experience homelessness before age 19 than non-Indigenous youth (75% versus 67%) (Davis, Hildebrand, and Oscilowicz, 2021).

The Indigenous Youth Housing Strategy (IYHS) is a For Indigenous Youth, By Indigenous Youth (FIYBIY) initiative developed by AHMA to address the housing needs of YIPs in British Columbia (BC). Funded with support from CMHC and VanCity, this strategy founded a new framework to engage YIPs as leaders with meaningful decision-making power to effectively co-create the IYHS.

We documented our journey, engaging five young Indigenous leaders in the non-profit housing sector as our Steering Committee with a call to action for others to follow our methodology. Together, we identified five youth-created housing models to support youth across the housing continuum. These models reflect YIP’s safe, supportive, and affordable housing vision. As pilot-ready concepts, they offer solutions that address youth homelessness and housing insecurity across B.C., while honouring cultural safety, kinship models, and self-determination.

Given the overwhelming success of this strategy, we are asking CMHC to provide ongoing support for Phase II of this initiative, which would resource implementation. This would include funding that could support a Youth Housing Team within AHMA, a training budget, and access to funds that would support capital development.

The total annual cost for the Youth Housing Strategy (including funding for the strategy team, a training budget to accelerate Young Indigenous Peoples (YIP) careers in housing, and a capital project fund to support the development of youth-specific housing) is $1,293,000, with the majority of this investment allocated to the capital projects fund. Over five years, the projected cost of delivering this strategy is $6,465,000, enabling sustained development, capacity-building, and long-term impact in youth-centered housing initiatives.

Recommendation 4

That federal investment in affordable housing and homelessness programs include dedicated funding streams that support Indigenous housing for women and girls fleeing violence; and in alignment with the findings from the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) and the 231 Calls to Justice.

Past and present colonial practices have created systemic and societal discrimination that perpetuate violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people. In particular, the Indian Act has worked to sever the relationship between Indigenous women and their families, communities, and lands.

Since the release of the National Inquiry and the 231 Calls to Justice, Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people continue to experience disproportionate levels of violence. This is evident in the ongoing, devastating accounts of Indigenous women and gender-diverse people who have been murdered or gone missing (Schwan et al., 2020).

Despite long-standing awareness and growing public attention, this violence has not been adequately integrated into housing policy or planning (Bingham et al., 2019). Housing is inextricably linked to safety and persistent gaps in safe, affordable, and culturally supportive housing for Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people increase their vulnerability to harm.

While the 2017 National Housing Strategy (NHS) dedicated significant funding to housing expansion, investment in supports specifically for Indigenous women and girls has been largely confined to the Indigenous Shelter and Transition Housing Initiative (ISTHI). Though ISTHI was a welcome development, its design and funding criteria have limited access (particularly for off-reserve projects) due to rising land values and operational costs in urban and rural settings. As a result, very few off-reserve Indigenous-led projects were successfully funded through this initiative.

Going forward, the federal government must prioritize the housing needs of Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people in all affordable housing investments. This includes assigning specific equity targets within broader housing programs and creating flexible, dedicated funding streams to support culturally grounded, trauma-informed housing models that meet the needs of those fleeing violence.

In 2025, AHMA has added an addendum to the Provincial Urban, Rural, and Northern Indigenous Housing Strategy to reflect the lived experiences and housing needs of Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people. According to AHMA’s calculations, of the 17,145 Indigenous people that are living in CHN, 55% of these households led by women. Among them, 9,015 Indigenous women spend more than 50% of their income on housing. This is an affordability threshold that disproportionately affects Indigenous youth and Elders who are significantly overrepresented in these statistics.

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