First Nations housing crisis will take a lifetime to solve: AFN regional chief
WINNIPEG — New federal money for First Nations housing is welcome but will not solve a monumental shortage for at least a generation, an indigenous leader said Wednesday.
“I don’t see it happening in my lifetime or in my children’s lifetime, to be honest,” Kevin Hart, a regional chief with the Assembly of First Nations, said during a break in the assembly’s housing and infrastructure conference held in Winnipeg.
“We have 16, 18 people in a two-bedroom house (in Norway House, Man.). Now if that was to occur here in Winnipeg with a non-native family, would that be acceptable? The black mould that’s in our houses — would that be acceptable here in Winnipeg? Would that be acceptable in Toronto?”
The federal government has promised $8.4 billion over five years for infrastructure, education and other issues in First Nations communities. The housing portion over the next two years is forecast to be more than double previous levels at $450 million.