January 20, 2012
Hamilton, ON

Over the past two years, considerable progress was made with the First Nation, Inuit, Métis Urban & Rural (FIMUR) Housing Program that is administered by Ontario Aboriginal Housing Services (OAHS).  The FIMUR Housing Program is exceeding program delivery targets, making positive social impacts, and delivering substantial economic returns.

The FIMUR Assisted Homeownership Program is designed to help move renters and affordable housing tenants into market housing.  In Hamilton, OAHS has helped 10 families purchase their own home.  To date, across Ontario (excluding the Greater Toronto Area), OAHS has helped 731 people move into 261 homes.  These new homeowners now have stable housing and are able to better focus on contributing to their communities and strengthening their families.  Importantly, this includes 182 people who have moved out of social housing and 53 people who have escaped situations of violence.

Don McBain, Executive Director of OAHS, comments, “The FIMUR Homeownership Program will help many Aboriginal individuals and families get access to safe and affordable homes while freeing up affordable rental accommodation for families currently on extensive waiting lists.”

The Honourable Kathleen Wynne, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing and Minister of Aboriginal Affairs said, “Together with Ontario Aboriginal Housing Services, this program will improve the lives of hundreds of Aboriginal families. This partnership will provide families with access to safe, affordable and stable housing that will help to close the gap between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people in Ontario.”

The Program was launched September 1, 2009 and funding from that program is essentially fully committed.  OAHS is projecting that at least 270 new homeowners and their families, representing approximately 750 Aboriginal people, will have safe, affordable housing.

OAHS will exceed the original target of 200 homeowners by 35% which represents an additional 70 families that will be assisted in their search for safe, affordable housing.

With the objective of assessing and improving service levels, OAHS partnered with undergraduate students from a local University.  One set of questions asked about any positive experiences to date.

The most common experiences noted by these new Aboriginal homeowners were:

  • Increased pride;
  • Improved security of tenure versus renting (i.e. sale of rental houses);
  • Improved family well-being;
  • Feeling of independence and better long-term financial situation; and
  • Simply having a home

Although helping 750 people move to market housing will undoubtedly make significant improvements in their quality of life, the reality is that much work remains to be done.  The off-Reserve Aboriginal homeownership rate of 54% in 2006 is substantially lower than the non-Aboriginal homeownership rate of 68% (NAHA: A Time for Action, 2009, p. ii).

The FIMUR Assisted Homeownership model is demonstrating early successes to generate both significant social and economic returns.

For more information about OAHS, please visit:

www.OntarioAboriginalHousing.ca
or call 1-866-391-1061.