Work begins on Indigenous-led housing project on Vancouver Island

A unique partnership between First Nations, the City of Port Alberni and the province is bringing much-needed affordable housing to the Alberni Valley on Vancouver Island.

Once completed, the new complex will house 35 Ahousaht families who live in Port Alberni, B.C., 90 kilometres from their community on the west coast of the Island. 

Ground broke last month on the project.

The four-storey wood-frame building is going up on a former elementary school site purchased from the municipality for $1 by the Citaapi Mahtii Housing Society (CMHS), the group leading the charge on the project. The land is valued at $580,400.

B.C. Housing has contributed $6 million to the project, while the federal government contributed $150,000 in seed funding. 

The development will include studio apartments as well as units with up to four bedrooms.

"We want our local decision making here, for our housing needs," said Wally Samuel, an Ahousaht elder and chair of the CMHS.

Port Alberni has been hit hard by the housing crisis, with the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation releasing data earlier this year that shows the vacancy rate in the port city to be at just 1.1 per cent. 

While it's not typical of municipalities to get involved in land transfers, Port Alberni Mayor Shari Minions says the city wanted to step up — especially when it comes to getting families and children out of precarious housing situations.

"I want to make sure that every child in our community has access to the basic needs and that they should have safe accessible housing," said Minions. 

More than 500 Ahousaht people live in Port Alberni, according to Samuel.

"We're looking after the Ahousahts no matter where they live," said Samuel. 

The development is being built on the traditional territory of the Tseshaht and Hupacasath, something the society was mindful of when the idea for the project first came about. 

The Ahousaht approached the two nations, using an old protocol, who gave their blessing for the project to go forward. 

"I just really felt respected," said Ken Watts, chief councillor for the Tseshaht. 

"That doesn't happen all the time, unfortunately."

The project will also have one designated unit for a Tseshaht family and one for a Hupacasath family. 

Culturally informed housing 

In addition to providing housing, the project is also focused on building culture and community, with a cultural centre on site. 

Alice Sam works in cultural advocacy and support for Kuu-us Crisis Line, a B.C.-wide crisis line offering safety monitoring for Indigenous people in Port Alberni. 

She's seen first-hand the effects of the housing crisis and says culture is crucial in addressing mental health and trauma.

"I think that's the missing piece in the trauma that makes people homeless and addicted," she explained. 

"I think it's important for us, in urban Indigenous people, to have a place that is home, away from home, and in community and serving us as more as a community, versus being a part of a city."

Samuel believes this project has the potential to change lives. 

"We're thinking of the next generations of Ahousahts that are growing up here, right? They're the ones that's falling through the cracks," he said. 

Alice Sam said she wishes a project similar to the one being built had existed when her children were small. 

"I was a single mom. I brought up my children in the city and ... if I had community to raise my children, it would have made a difference," she said. 

"I was always taught that Ahousaht is home," said Sam. 

The project is expected to be completed next spring.