Amid countless dire accounts of the housing crisis plaguing First Nations reserves, three Vancouver Island bands are making significant, positive moves that show the situation can change.
On their reserve near Lantzville, the Nanoose band opened 30 new houses for elders and families that are drawing people back home. The houses cost just $95,000 each to build, rent for less than $400 a month and still feature modern amenities, waterfront views, and extra safeguards against mould and mildew.
On the Tseycum reserve on the Saanich Peninsula, maintenance man Leonard Jim patrols the streets, making sure houses are kept up and garbage isn't strewn about. The band's recent focus on health and safety might seem small, but it has had huge results -- residents are happy and proud to call the tidier reserve home.
Pride is also evident among Hupacasath band members in Port Alberni, who have paid off most of the mortgages on their homes and used grant money to build new units as well as renovate old ones. They've relied on strong leadership and a desire to separate housing decisions from band politics.
Inside on page A3: Part six of our seven-day series on the native housing crisis.
SERIES CONTINUES
-Over the past six days, Times Colonist reporters Judith Lavoie and Lindsay Kines have investigated the sorry state of First Nations housing on reserves: Why thousands of homes are falling down and riddled with mould, how the houses are making residents sick, and why the crisis isn't limited to reserves. - In tomorrow's final instalment: what needs to be done. -To read the entire series, go to: timescolonist.com/housing-crisis
