Question Period Note: Supports for Indigenous women

• Our government is making investments to address the social determinants of health, including housing, economic opportunities, and Indigenous-led healthcare systems.

• Since the launch of the Indigenous Shelter and Transitional Housing Initiative in November 2021, an additional 41 projects have been selected across the country: 17 shelters, 22 transition homes, and 2 mixed use facilities. This is part of the $724.1 million committed through the 2020 Comprehensive Violence Prevention Strategy.

• New shelters are opening their doors in Hollow Water (Manitoba), Keeseekoowenin (Manitoba) Whitefish Lake (Alberta), Lil’wat (British Columbia), and Eel Ground (New Brunswick).

The Family Violence Prevention Program

The goal of the Indigenous Services Canada's Family Violence Prevention Program is to improve the safety and security of Indigenous women, children, families, and 2SLGBTQI+ people.

The Family Violence Prevention Program provides funding for the following components:

• day-to-day operations of emergency shelters and transitional (second stage) housing that provide services for Indigenous women, children, families, and 2SLGBTQI+ people across Canada, including in the North and in urban centres;
• support for shelter capacity;
• engagement and community prevention projects to raise awareness specific to Métis women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people; and
• culturally-appropriate prevention projects across Canada, such as public awareness campaigns, stress and anger management support groups, and community needs assessments.

2020 Shelter Initiative for Indigenous Women and Children

On May 29, 2020, $44.8 million was announced over five years for the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation to build 12 new shelters: 10 shelters for First Nations communities across the country, and two in the territories. The government will also provide ISC with $40.8 million to support operational costs for these new shelters over the first five years, and then $10.2 million annually ongoing.

In response to the Expression of Interest for the Shelter Initiative, 69 proposals were received by the deadline of January 15, 2021. On June 17, 2021, both Ministers jointly announced the location of the 12 new shelters for Indigenous peoples seeking to escape family violence. The approved shelters are intended to be Indigenous-led and seek to provide vital refuge as well as critical supports and services to help survivors of family violence recover from the trauma of their experiences. The shelters will be built in partnership with the following communities:

1. Lil'wat Nation, British Columbia
2. Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation, Alberta
3. Whitefish Lake First Nation #459, Alberta
4. Prince Albert Grand Council, Saskatchewan
5. Keeseekoowenin, Manitoba
6. Hollow Water, Manitoba
7. Wasauksing First Nation, Ontario
8. Odanak First Nation, Quebec
9. Natoaganag (Eel Ground) First Nation, New Brunswick
10. Acadia First Nation, Nova Scotia
11. Council of Yukon First Nations, Yukon
12. Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, Northwest Territories

This funding is in addition to the $10 million previously announced in COVID-19 supports for First Nations shelters in 2020-2021 and to the $1 million per year ongoing to engage Métis leaders and service providers on assessing shelter needs and community-led violence prevention projects for Métis women, girls, 2SLGBTQI+ People.

Through the 2020 Fall Economic Statement, the Government of Canada committed $724.1 million to launch a Comprehensive Violence Prevention Strategy that would:
• expand culturally relevant supports for Indigenous peoples facing gender-based violence; and,
• support new emergency shelters and transitional (second-stage) housing across the country, including in the North and in urban centres.

2021 Indigenous Shelter and Transitional Housing Initiative

In November 2021, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation launched the Indigenous Shelter and Transitional Housing Initiative in collaboration with ISC, which will support a minimum of 38 emergency shelters and 50 transition homes (second-stage housing) for First Nations, Inuit, Métis, and 2SLGBTQI+ people across Canada, including in the North and urban Centres.

Through its Family Violence Prevention Program, ISC will provide:
• an average annual allocation of $1 million to operate shelters in the Territories and Inuit Nunangat.
• an average annual allocation of $800,000 to operate shelters in Provinces across the country.
• an average annual allocation for transition homes of $500,000. It is anticipated that transition homes will incorporate some geared-to-income rent from clients as part of their operational budgets.

The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation will provide capital funding based on an average cost of up to:
• $7.2 million per facility in the Territories and Inuit Nunangat.
• $3.48 million per facility in Provinces across the country.

The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation and ISC have been working with the Steering Committee and Selection Committee for the general and Inuit streams of the initiative, which are comprised of representatives from Indigenous Organizations, including First Nations, Inuit, Métis, 2SLGBTQI+ people, urban Indigenous groups, those with lived experience, and shelter staff.
• The committees have supported the development of the evaluation process and recommended the selection of projects.

On January 26, 2021, then Minister of Indigenous Services, the Honourable Marc Miller along with Honourable Ahmed Hussen, then Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, committed to fund the construction and operations of shelters for Inuit women and children across Inuit Nunangat as well as in urban centres. The funding for the new shelters is part of the funding announced in the 2020 Fall Economic Statement for the Comprehensive Violence Prevention Strategy. In August 2021, the Call for Proposals for the Shelter Initiative for Inuit Women and Children was launched by Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada, in collaboration with Indigenous Services Canada and Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. In November 2021, the Indigenous Shelter and Transitional Housing Initiative was launched by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, in collaboration with Indigenous Services Canada. Applications are currently being reviewed by the Inuit Steering and Selection Committees, which includes representation from Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada, all regions of Inuit Nunangat, as well as the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation and ISC.

Since the launch of this initiative, 41 projects have been selected: 17 shelters, 22 transitional housing projects, and two mixed used projects, including:
1. Heiltsuk First Nation, British Columbia
2. Dena Tha' First Nation, Alberta
3. Makwa Sahgaiehcan First Nation, Saskatchewan
4. Cross Lake First Nation, Manitoba
5. Fisher River Cree Nation, Manitoba
6. Sapotaweyak Cree Nation, Manitoba
7. Beausoleil First Nation, Ontario
8. Pikangikum First Nation, Ontario
9. Fort Albany First Nation, Ontario
10. Northern Village of Puvirnituq, Quebec (Transitional Home)
11. Northern Village of Puvirnituq, Quebec (Shelter)
12. Fort Frances Tribal Area, Ontario
13. Garden River First Nation, Ontario
14. Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug First Nation, Ontario
15. Municipality of Sanikiluaq, Nunavut
16. Montagnais de Pakua Shipi, Quebec
17. Tobique First Nation, New Brunswick
18. Tataskweyak Cree Nation, Manitoba
19. Winnipeg, Manitoba
20. Cape Breton, Nova Scotia
21. St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
22. Stephenville, Newfoundland and Labrador
Note that the latest shelter initiative has 41 projects selected, but in the annex, only 22 are listed. This is because Indigenous Services Canada does not have permission from the remaining 19 to publish their names/locations.
In addition to funding shelter operations, the Family Violence Prevention Program supports culturally-appropriate violence prevention and awareness activities, including enhanced wraparound services for shelter clients. ISC regions have the flexibility to adopt regionally-based approaches to implement violence prevention programming, such as formula-based allocations to communities or shelters; proposal-based approaches; or, support for aggregate organizations such as Tribal Councils or Indigenous organizations. The 2022-2023 Call for Proposals for violence prevention projects closed on January 30, 2023.

Between 2021-22 and 2022-23 Indigenous Services Canada had a total of $53.4 million available to fund the operations of new shelters and transition homes and to support violence prevention activities. As of (January 31, 2023), a total of $41.8 million has been provided to support initial start-up costs for selected shelter and transition home projects, and to various Indigenous organizations. Of the $41.8 million, a total of $5.8 million has been provided to support initial operational costs and $36 million has been spent on programs and services."
Full operational funding to support shelters and transition homes only becomes available once facilities are built and ready to serve clients. If there are construction delays, operational funds will be rolled over to ensure they do not lapse and remain available. Violence prevention funding is distributed amongst communities and organizations and is not impacted by such delays.

If pressed on the Comprehensive Violence Prevention Strategy

• $724.1 million was announced to launch a Comprehensive Violence Prevention Strategy.

• This strategy will support new emergency shelters and transitional housing across Canada, including in the North and in urban centres through ISC’s Family Violence Prevention Program.

• ISC will invest $304.1 million over five years to support the operational costs of the new shelters and transition homes and expand funding for culturally relevant violence prevention projects.

• A total of 41 projects have been selected across the country. These shelters and transition homes will provide Indigenous women, children and 2SLGBTQI+ survivors of gender-based violence with a vital refuge and culturally appropriate supports and services.

If pressed on shelter shortages in Indigenous communities

• Shelters provide a vital place of refuge for Indigenous women and children escaping violence across Canada.

• In May 2020, we announced funding to build 10 new shelters in First Nations communities and two in the territories to help protect Indigenous women and children escaping domestic violence. In June 2021, the 12 new shelters were announced.

• In November 2020, further funding was announced via the Fall Economic Statement to build and support an additional 38 shelters and 50 transition homes. The initiative was launched in November 2021, and currently 41 new projects have been selected by an Indigenous-led Steering Committee.

If pressed on shelter shortages for Inuit women
• In January 2021, our Government committed to fund the construction and operations of shelters for Inuit women and children across Inuit Nunangat as well as in urban centres.

• These shelters will be funded via the Comprehensive Violence Prevention Strategy announced in the 2020 Fall Economic Statement.

• In August 2021, Pauktuutit, in collaboration with ISC and the CMHC, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, launched the Call for Proposals for the Shelter Initiative for Inuit Women and Children.

• In February 2023, Pauktuutit announced the selection of three projects, two shelters and one transition home in Sanikiluaq, Nunavut, and in Puvirnituq, Nunavik.