Saskatoon affordable housing project gets $23.6M from federal government

The federal government is providing $36.3 million toward affordable housing projects across Saskatchewan, including $23.6 million for a project in Saskatoon geared toward Indigenous people.

Officials made the announcement on Friday in Saskatoon about the funding through the Affordable Housing Fund, which provides low-interest and/or forgivable loans or contributions — in this case, to build or repair 788 homes in 53 different projects.

The large chunk of funding for the Saskatoon project is going toward Phase 1 of a 73-unit project on the west side of the city in Blairmore called Hart Road.

The community project will be operated by non-profit Métis housing organizations Camponi Housing Corporation and SaskNative Rentals Inc.

Hart Road will be a "self-contained community specifically tailored for Métis and First Nations Peoples," according to a news release from the federal government.

"Hart Road is about building unity, it's about building community, and it's about empowering our tenants," said Angela Bishop, the board chair of Camponi.

Bishop said Camponi consulted prospective tenants and the Métis community about what they wanted to see in such a space. As a result, one of the features will be an Indigenous day-care provider for "culturally enriched day care."

Another piece of input that was considered included the location, which Bishop said is one that is within walking distance of grocery stores, schools and employment opportunities.

"We heard from our tenants that they wanted a cultural space, a space where they could connect, so we created a gym and a community kitchen," said Bishop.

Bishop said the affordable units in Phase 1 are expected to be finished by June 2025, with tenants moving in that fall.

Saskatoon Mayor Charlie Clark said at the announcement said he remembered when Hart Road was a topic at city council years before, and there were fears around creating such an unorthodox community.

"It was just pictures on paper at that time, and now we're seeing it actually be built and become this great vision of a community and that feels fabulous," Clark said.

He also stressed the need for more housing, and working on getting Phase 2 of Hart Road, 90 more units, underway. Clark said the holistic housing approach could be used elsewhere in Saskatoon.

The rest of the affordable housing money announced on Friday is spread across 52 other projects in dozens of Saskatchewan communities and First Nations.

The Affordable Housing Fund money is separate from the Housing Accelerator Fund, which the City of Saskatoon has been working at qualifying for through recent zoning and parking changes.

Through the Housing Accelerator Fund, the federal government announced on Friday agreements with Buffalo River Dene Nation, Humboldt, Moosomin and Outlook for $5.5 million. That money will help fast track more than 140 housing units over the next three years

Another initiative, the National Indigenous Collaborative Housing Inc. (NICHI), also saw a funding announcement on Friday. NICHI aims to address the needs of Indigenous people for safe housing off-reserve.

"While the housing crisis is affecting Canadians from each corner of the country, the historical underfunding for Indigenous peoples have led to them bearing the brunt of the crisis," said federal Northern Affairs Minister Dan Vandal.

He said eight organizations in Saskatchewan will receive $34 million through NICHI to help build more than 1,100 units across Saskatchewan.