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Housing

Conference Board of Canada: Evaluating homeownership in First Nation communities through program review and interviews.

October 30, 2024

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Conference Board of Canada: The First Nations Market Housing Fund (the Fund or FNMHF) is an Indigenous-led trust dedicated to expanding housing options for First Nation communities across Canada. The Fund aims to support a broad spectrum of housing realities, including market rental housing, rent-to-own agreements, and private homeownership. The FNMHF recognizes that, while social housing is the primary option for many First Nations, it may not satisfy the diverse housing needs and aspirations of all community members. The Fund’s mission therefore aims to diversify housing options and facilitate greater homeownership opportunities for First Nationindividuals and families within their own communities.

Key findings
  • Supporting mortgages in First Nation communities: As of September 2023, the First Nations Market Housing Fund (FNMHF) supported 563 mortgages across 40 First Nations, including new constructions, purchases, refinances, and renovations.
  • Enhancing community commitment: Mortgage uptake directly benefits from community commitment. The Fund’s community commitment activities emphasize community engagement, personal finance coaching, and workshops for successful homeownership. With room to grow, this area of the Fund is critical for market-based housing.
  • Key factors influencing homeownership: Community well-being and geography significantly impact homeownership rates in partner First Nations, with remote communities facing greater challenges. Targeted interventions are therefore required.
  • Complexities in loan uptake: The success of the FNMHF’s credit enhancement program is influenced by homeowner capabilities and First Nation–lender relations, highlighting the need for enhanced community commitment and targeted capacity-building, especially in remote areas.
  • Qualitative insights on housing initiatives: Interviews with the FNMHF’s community partners identified problems such as limited funding, remoteness, diverse training needs, and the importance of local banking relationships.
  • Future directions: The FNMHF should consider coordinating with other Indigenous institutions to enhance community commitment and strengthen financial and legal frameworks for market-based housing.