B.C. has become the first province in Canada to hand over management of social housing to the aboriginal community.

The administration of 189 homes — 92 of which are on Vancouver Island — has been transferred from the province to the Aboriginal Housing Management Association.

The transfer is being heralded by first nations and Community, Aboriginal and Women’s Services Minister Murray Coell as a historic move toward total aboriginal self-management of social housing.

“Safe, affordable housing for aboriginal people should be managed by aboriginal people,” Coell said. “It’s something the aboriginal community has been asking for for a number of years.”

The next step is to conclude a federal-provincial agreement that will allow the association to take over administration of another 2,800 housing units being managed by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp., Coell said.

Funding and operating agreements with both levels of government will remain the same, but aboriginal housing societies will manage the buildings in ways that reinforce cultural identity, he said.

The M’Akola Group of Societies will manage the housing on Vancouver Island — under the association’s umbrella.

“This is a huge step, a huge precedent. There’s really no downside to this,” said Kevin Albers, M’Akola executive director.

Housing can help address some problems faced by urban aboriginals such as discrimination, poverty, over-representation in the justice system and difficulty in obtaining education, Albers said.

There is always a waiting list for M’Akola housing, and throughout the province the need for more affordable family housing is growing, he said.

Linda Ross, housing association executive director, said the transfer gives aboriginal people more control over their destiny.

“And control over your life is associated with health and well-being.”

One difference from other social housing is that the association complexes usually have communal rooms where ceremonies and traditional events can take place, Ross said.

“As the first aboriginal group to actually deliver housing subsidies and oversee the operations of the provincial aboriginal housing providers in B.C., we intend to be a stellar model for the rest of Canada,” she said.

© The Vancouver Sun 2004