Working Together for Aboriginal Housing Success

Transcription

AHMAGATHERING
Aboriginal Housing Management Association | SPRING 2014 ISSUE
READY TO RENT
Discover the program that is
educating tenants
COMMUNITY
VOICE MAIL
Lu’ma Native & Prince George
Métis housing societies
send out a lifeline of hope
INDIGENIZING HOUSING
What requirements, rules or
suggestions should be considered
when building Aboriginal units?
FORMS OF HOME OWNERSHIP
Working Together
for Aboriginal
Housing Success
CONTEST
Enter our Eagle Eye Contest now!
See
Pa
ge
Housing solutions are not one-size-fits-all
22
contents
AHMAGATHERING
EDITOR’S LETTER
03
33
Together, we make a
04 difference
AHMA, a Backbone
06 Organization
Closing the Gap: Shelters and
The Need for Indigenizing
08 Societies
23 Housing in B.C.
Management
Affordable Housing: A Multi09Property
Software & Maintenance
26 Agency Model
Management: what to do
Alternative Forms of Home
10 Asset
with what you’ve got
29 Ownership
Community members
14 Helping
Get Ready to Rent
33 Event Photo Album
In Celebration of Richard
Finding Home: An Investigation
38
Krentz
17 of Housing Discrimination
Spring Gathering:
A Lifeline of Hope: Community
39
In Numbers
Voice
Mail
20
AHMAGATHERING • SPRING 2014
CEO’S Letter
02
Co
nte
st
EAGLE EYE
See Page 22
on
no
w!
Scour the magazine
for a chance to win!
AHMAG ATHERIN
Aboriginal Hous
ing Managem
ent Associatio
G
n | SPRING 2014
ISSUE
READY
TO RENT
Discover the prog
ram that
educating tena is
nts
COMMUNITY
VO
Lu’ma Native ICE MAIL
& Prince
Métis housing George
send out a lifeli societies
ne of hope
INDIGENIZING
HOUS
ING
What requ
suggestions shouirements, rules or
when building ld be considered
Aboriginal units
?
FORMS OF
HO
Enter our Ea
gle
e2
2
See
T
Pa
g
ME OWNERS
Housing solutions
are not one-size- HIP
fits-all
Working To
gether
for Aborigin
Housing Sucal
cess
CONTES
Eye Contest
now!
On The Cover
The venue, Chief Joe
Mathias Centre, gleams
in the early morning
light on the first day of
the AHMA 2014 Spring
Gathering, March 13,
2014. The Centre resides
on Squamish Nation
territory in their village
of Xwemelch’stn (North
Vancouver, B.C.).
CEO’S LETTER
RAY GEROW
by
AHMA Chief Executive Officer
AHMAGATHERING
What comes to mind as I am writing
this report are the words and direction that I once heard from Chief Ian
Campbell of the Squamish Nation, and
which in my mind are just as valid now
as they were 10 years ago when I heard
him speak.
Chief Campbell said we are living in
exciting times of transformation — and
that change is inevitable and imperative. He told the universal story of the
great flood that is shared by many of
our ancestors.
“
For us as Salish people, we
gathered at the highest peaks
in our land at Nch’kay and Siyam
smanit. When the waters receded,
the people found themselves in a
strange land — they could never go
back to the way it was before the
flood. They had to learn to adapt
to their new environment, and they
started to rebuild themselves. Like
our ancestors, we have learned to
navigate the ‘modern flood’ over our
lands. But rather than having change
imposed on us, we must embrace
and implement change. This doesn’t
mean that we assimilate ourselves.
It means we simply use ‘Injinuity’ in
our approach, by keeping an open
mind and utilizing the best tools we
can to move forward and flourish
once again in our territories.”
It is my personal belief that AHMA and,
indeed, the entire Aboriginal housing
sector in the province, are now living
in the “post-flood” era, or as it would
be referred to in our housing language
the “post-subsidy” era. We are learning
how to adapt to our new environment
and we have started the process to
rebuild ourselves.
I heard nothing but positive and energetic conversations over the two days,
both planned structured conversations,
as well as many more un-planned impromptu conversations. I heard passion
and commitment from each and every
one of you, and strong encouragement for AHMA to continue to take the
bold yet strategic moves necessary to
ensure that our community’s interests
are protected, and enshrined in every
decision that we make. Yes, subsidies
are starting to fall off, but as they do
our spirit of determination and entrepreneurialism are starting to rise to
new heights — and we are starting on a
new journey that will ultimately lead to
stronger and more resilient Aboriginal
communities.
WRITERS:
Carol Endrizzi
David Silva
Emma Fineblit
Hannah McDonald
Janina Sarmiento
Margaret Pfoh
Megan Herod
Mike Klein
Monika Czyz
Rachel Humenny
Ray Gerow
EDITOR:
Rachel Humenny
PHOTOGRAPHERS:
Connie Mah
Unless specified, all other
photos by Rachel Humenny
I give you my commitment to continue
on this journey with you, and I raise my
hands to each and every one of you for
taking the time away from your communities and your families to share your
wisdom, to tell your stories, to bring
your enthusiasm into the room, and
for ultimately making the Gathering a
success. n
“The obstacle is the path!”
Aboriginal Housing
Management Association
Suite 615-100 Park Royal South
West Vancouver, BC V7T 1A2
Tel: 604-621-2462
Fax: 604-921-2463
www.ahma-bc.org
[email protected]
O
n behalf of the staff, and the
entire AHMA team, and that
includes each and every one
of the participants at this year’s Gathering, I would like to thank the Squamish
people for the opportunity to gather in
their territory and conduct our business. Many thanks to Bob Baker and
the Eagle Song Dancers for ensuring
that we started our two days together
in a good way. I would especially like to
recognize one of those dancers, AHMA’s
very own Jennifer Williams!
3
Chet kw’enmantumiyap
Squamish for “We are thankful to you all.”
We, at AHMA, would like to thank the Skwxwú7mesh “Squamish Nation” in its village of Xwemelch’stn “North Vancouver,” for welcoming us and allowing us to hold
our Spring Gathering in its traditional territory. We also thank the Chief Joe Mathias Centre for providing us with an excellent venue to host the Gathering; and, we
thank the Eagle Song Dancers (including Bob Baker, Willie Lewis, Jennifer Williams,
Lacey Baker, and Loni Williams) for providing a beautiful Opening Ceremony and
blessing for our Aboriginal Community-Based Organizations (CBOs), staff, and
industry partners.
EVENT REVIEW
RACHEL HUMENNY
by
AHMA Communications Manager
Together, We Make a Difference
The 2014 Spring Gathering is a community-filled two days of
learning, sharing, laughter, food, fun, and networking for
Aboriginal Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) and other
Housing partners from across British Columbia.
I
4
t’s March and just over a year
since BC Housing fully devolved its Aboriginal Housing
Portfolio to AHMA and its Community-Based Organizations (CBOs)
— and Aboriginal management of
Aboriginal assets is here to stay. The
Spring Gathering marks this very important time for the industry and at
the event it is apparent industry participants share an optimistic outlook
on what is possible for Indigenizing
the social housing sector.
Continued Page 5 >
Topics range from Indigenizing housing to portfolio planning to discrimination and more. Industry partners
were invited to attend the Gathering
to hear from and understand the
issues facing Aboriginal CBOs across
the province. This furthers the effort
to join together to discover how to
learn from and work with each other
for the common good of the Aboriginal housing industry at large.
It is exciting to see people
gladly reuniting, greeting
new attendees, meeting
others for the first time,
putting faces to names
found online and through
email, and, most importantly,
forging friendships and
partnerships that will last
years to come. These acts
all re-confirm what community is supposed to look like
and help shrink beautiful
B.C. down in size, blurring
borders and boundaries
between organizations.
Some great partnerships develop
during the event, as Aboriginal CBOs
and industry partners discuss new
initiatives to positively change the
lives of tenants and community
members, as their own businesses
grow and prosper. The Ready to Rent
BC and Community Voice Mail initiatives are just two of the conversation
topics that carry through the event
and grow quickly afterward based
on Aboriginal CBO participation in
Prince George and province-wide.
Aboriginal Chef Andrew George Jr.
and BC Housing’s Vice President of
Operations Craig Crawford are the
Gathering’s two keynote speakers.
They acknowledge the importance of
Aboriginal housing being in Aboriginal hands, promote working with
partners to achieve greater impact,
and Chef Andrew throws out a challenge to everyone to Indigenize all
aspects of their lives (not only cooking) to be healthy, whole individuals. It’s true that the key to creating
strong and vibrant communities
starts with creating healthy individuals and organizations first.
We all realize that it’s not possible for
a CBO on its own to meet the needs
of its tenants, community members,
organizational requests, and
government requirements based on
a limited budget and often-strained
resources. AHMA’s Gatherings are a
chance for everyone to come together and find synergies, partnerships, program-shares, new ideas and
technologies, and other efficiencies
in order to have a greater impact
than what each could achieve on its
own. In the end, it really does come
down to building community.
Together, we make a difference. n
On Squamish territory on a bright
spring morning, the Spring Gathering
attendees are warmly welcomed by
Bob Baker and the Squamish dance
group, Eagle Song Dancers, who set
a standard for a judgement-free, respectful atmosphere. Their welcome
and blessings are followed by Chris
Robertson’s introduction to the event
and description of how the Gathering
will follow a modified Open Space
Technology meeting format where
CBO attendees host discussions to
share ideas, successes, concerns, and
solutions.
5
DISCUSSION TOPICS
CAROL ENDRIZZI
by
AHMA Director of Operations
AHMA,
a Backbone Organization
Creating collective impact with CBOs to
better the Aboriginal housing industry together
A
t the 2014 Spring Gathering, Carol Endrizzi and
the Aboriginal Portfolio
Advisors (APAs) ask the 40 Aboriginal Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) in attendance what
AHMA can do for them. The group
conversation focuses on the current
role of AHMA, what areas may be
improved upon, and what additional services, roles, and responsibilities AHMA may provide in its
development as a backbone organization (an organization that plays a
complex, behind-the-scenes role in
the success of project initiatives) in
order to have a collective impact on
the Aboriginal Off-Reserve Housing
industry as a whole.
AHMA’s Scope of Operations
6
The conversation opens with a
discussion of AHMA’s current scope
of operations. According to the
participants, AHMA is correctly
described as:
An organization that offers subsidy
disbursement and administration,
operating agreement administration,
financial review and reconciliation,
processing of modernization and
improvement (M&I) requests, administration of M&I projects, functional
guidance and support to providers
in their housing operations, providing analysis (i.e., homeownership
program), and amalgamation of
operating agreements.
AHMA’s responsibility is also based
in its effort to create collective impact or “the commitment of a group
of actors from different sectors to
a common agenda for solving a
complex social problem” in the Aboriginal Housing sector (according
to the Tamarack Institute, a leader
in collective impact). The Institute
supports the use of backbones to
create community change:
“The role of the backbone
organization spans six major
activities: guiding vision
and strategy; supporting
aligned activities; establishing shared measurements;
building public will;
advancing policy change;
and, mobilizing funding.
The backbone organization
essentially keeps the
collaborative on track and
moves it forward.”
There are no specific suggestions from
attendees for improvement of current
roles and responsibilities, which suggests a general satisfaction among those
in attendance.
Continued Page 7 >
regulations, mold abatement,
procurement of goods and
services, contract administration,
capital planning, and more.
Future Training Opportunities
Based on the comments at the
Gathering, the following is a list of
suggestions and comments regarding AHMA’s future role as a backbone
for the Aboriginal off-reserve housing
industry:
ll AHMA may/should expand its role
to become a lobbyist organization
to advocate to all levels of
government for additional
ll
ll
ll
ll
funding for new housing and
the sustainability of existing
Aboriginal affordable housing
stock.
AHMA may/should be able to
advocate specifically with local
municipalities regarding the
following: lower water costs,
lower taxes, and lower utility
rates (since providers are in the
business of “social” housing).
AHMA may/should assume
a role as a primary source of
information for potential new
housing opportunities and act
as a conduit of this information
to all potential Aboriginal CBOs
who may wish to access these
opportunities. (AHMA could
potentially take on the lead role
in allocation of new housing
resources directed to the
Aboriginal housing community.)
AHMA may expand its expertise
to provide support services
to Aboriginal CBOs in the
professional development of
proposals to access potential
housing opportunities that will
require detailed submissions
through an RFP format.
AHMA may expand its technical
support to organize/provide
training in areas such as Workers’
Compensation Board (WCB)
In addition, attendees request that
AHMA provide more information to
its CBOs, including:
ll Board governance support,
training, and support service to
CBOs experiencing administrative
difficulties
ll Insight into housing trends
ll analysis services (such as demand
studies, workout analysis of
projects in financial difficulty, and
more)
Finally, CBOs add that they would like
to see AHMA receive (and distribute)
subsidies directly from the federal
government, not just through provincial BC Housing funding.
At the end of the discussions, Carol
and the AHMA staff thank those in
attendance for offering their feedback, ideas, hopes, and suggestions
to the organization so that AHMA can
continue to offer the services that
its CBOs would like to receive and
attempt to have a collective impact
on the Aboriginal off-reserve housing
industry and community together. n
The conversation develops to list
some of the issues and questions that
CBOs have about the Aboriginal OffReserve Housing industry, and the
CBOs and AHMA’s roles therein. Some
of the items include:
ll APAs visiting their societies twice
per year in hopes to create better
communication;
ll Emerging/upcoming agreements;
ll Reporting for provincial projects
(opportunities to streamline the
process);
ll Rent-scale conversion;
ll What happens if replacement
reserve (RR) funds are low when
agreements are near expiry;
ll The possible (case by case) option
to allow societies to keep the last
two years’ of operating surpluses
through transferring funds into an
RR fund account; and
ll What happens after a project on a
99-year lease ends.
Participants at the Spring Gathering
also suggest that AHMA provide or
organize training for CBOs in the following areas:
ll Capacity building
ll Procurement and trades training
ll In-house M&I and energy
efficiency
ll Expiring projects (possible
options for expiring projects)
ll How to create proposals
ll Shared templates (such as, policy
and procedure documents)
7
DISCUSSION TOPICS
MARGARET PFOH
by
Mamele’awt Qweesome Housing Society
Closing the Gap
Between Transition/Shelter/AHOP Providers and
Longer-Term Urban Native Housing Providers
because the clients re-entered the
cycle of abuse (by bringing the
abusive partners into their new
home or the abusive partner follows
them into the new home) or the
clients enter a new abusive relationship that results in conduct issues
leading to their eviction or fleeing
the tenancy. As a housing provider,
the costs associated with an “at-risk”
tenancy can average $3,500 for
each tenancy turn-over. Such risks
may lead to a resistance or hesitancy in taking referrals from these
client profiles.
D
8
uring the AHMA Spring
Gathering, we take the
tremendous opportunity to meet and greet many new
programs to our fold, especially
the Transition Houses, Shelters,
and Aboriginal Homeless Outreach
program (AHOP) providers. Shabna
Ali, BC Society of Transition Houses
(BCSTH), was gracious enough to
consider co-hosting a circle with me
(Margaret) that brought together
Urban Native Housing providers with Transition/Shelter/AHOP
providers to discuss how each may
work better together to address
gaps in services. Much of the discussion stemming from Transition/
Shelter/AHOP providers speaks
to barriers that impede a client’s
access to emergency/short-term
housing and support (for example,
women fleeing abuse, addictions or
homelessness). It is apparent that
low-barrier concepts still need to be
addressed and developed.
One critical component that I address is the gap between first- and
second-stage housing programs
with longer term housing success
challenges. My experience as an
Urban Native Housing Provider with
women and clients leaving transition or shelter support programs is
one of mixed concern. Many times
we have taken in a client only to have
that tenancy end abruptly — either
Our discussion addresses the missing
link of having such client-focused ongoing expertise and support follow
these clients into our Urban Housing
programs so that the tenancy risk is
mitigated and the chances of success
and stability are increased. It is clear
to me that housing providers do not
necessarily always have the knowledge and skills on hand to mitigate
the risk, while staff at Transition/Shelters/AHOP do.
So, the challenge becomes
“how do we close that gap
with no additional funds or
program dollars?” n
DISCUSSION TOPICS
MIKE KLEIN
by
Chief Information Officer, BC Housing
Property
Management
Software &
Maintenance
Many Societies face the tough problem of choosing
appropriate software, hardware, and information
technology help. BC Housing’s Chief Information Officer Mike Klein discusses how working together can
help solve everyone’s problems.
PHOTO BY CONNIE MAH
This is an extensive conversation, with most of the providers who attended not overly happy with the solutions they
have, with some not fully utilizing the solution they had.
Issues range from poor usability to systems not functioning
at all. There are also issues around customer service from
the vendors.
Conversation builds among housing providers regarding
their issues and we all learn from each other’s experiences.
I talk a bit more about the software evaluation process
that BC Housing and BCNPHA are partnering on, to
help New Chelsea Society and Greater Victoria Housing
Society evaluate a property management solution. I
also discuss one of the deliverables from the process, a
Software Evaluation Toolkit, which will allow non-profits
to administer their own software evaluation processes.
The end of the discussion revolves around other miscellaneous IT topics, including telecommunications,
mobile devices, cloud computing, and some basic IT
infrastructure.
Going forward, there are no action items from the
conversation, but if anyone wants to run through their
own software evaluation process or wants to talk about
anything else IT-related, feel free to contact me at any
time at [email protected]. n
T
he conversation at AHMA’s Spring Gathering
starts with introductions and expectations of
what attendees want from the session. Most
do not know what they want specifically, but want to
learn more about Information Technology (IT) solutions
for their businesses. After introductions, I (Mike) ask
those in the circle to talk about their current property
management software solutions.
9
DISCUSSION TOPICS
DAVID SILVA
by
AHMA Director of Corporate Services
Asset Management:
want to discuss. We originally start
discussing what factors we consider
when trying to prioritize future
repair or renewal projects. However,
as the conversations evolve, we end
up just taking a step back and simply discussing what Asset Management is and why it so important to
the future of our housing portfolios.
Depending on whom you are talking to, what conference you may
be at, and/or which website your
Google search may have directed
you towards, we will all find a wide
range of software products, templates, and even definitions of what
Asset Management is and how it
should be conducted. The process
can’t just rely on a software package;
it needs to be treated as a tool for
driving strategic conversations and
decisions. Whatever Asset Management tool is used, whether it is a
post-it note, spreadsheet, or enhanced software package, it needs
to support the individual needs of
the society based on size, complexity, and long-term goals.
Determining what
to do with what
you’ve got
A
10
side from being completely shocked that
anyone even signed
up for my discussion topic, I am
appreciative and motivated by
how the open discussion format
of the Spring Gathering works for
the Asset Management discussion.
The conversation evolves from
the originally planned topic to an
open dialogue that is more in direct
alignment with the Aboriginal
Community-Based Organizations’
(CBOs) interests.
Importance of Asset Management
In both sessions, we open up the
floor to explore whatever attendees
“
Without a doubt, the
world of Capital
Planning can be extremely
complicated, scary, and
overwhelming…if you
allow it to be. Instead,
if we can find a way to
embrace it and effectively
roll it into our normal
operations, it can become
a solid tool for ensuring
our assets are well
maintained, safe, and
healthy. “
Continued Page 11 >
During our discussion there is an appreciation that regardless of what’s out there, we need to ensure whatever process we use needs to be simple, easy to maintain,
and make sense for each of our organizations.
focused on ensuring components can survive and/or
extend their anticipated life expectancy. Also, maintenance work ensures assets are kept in good working
order for the safety and health of residents.
Without a doubt, the world of Asset Management can
be extremely complicated, scary, and overwhelming…if you allow it to be. Instead, if we can find a way
to embrace it and effectively roll it into our normal
operations, it can become a solid tool for ensuring our
assets are well maintained, safe, and healthy. Also it can
provide the data necessary for analysis and strategic
planning in order to create opportunities and enhance
your portfolio to meet the needs of your business and
community.
The Needs Report should be the straight facts about
your building condition, regardless if you plan to sell
the property in two years or maintain it for the next 30
years. Too often strategic plans or assumptions about
the future use of the asset cause individuals to make
modifications to the data in a Needs Report. The Needs
Report must be objective, so the data can be used for
analysis based on the actual conditions and not be
manipulated by opinions of what you would like to
eventually do with that asset.
Needs Reports
The first step in being able to be strategic with a portfolio and effectively managing an asset is to ensure you
have a good understanding of each asset’s current and
future conditions. One of the challenges of not fully
knowing your asset is that it may result in all maintenance and capital repairs becoming a reactionary
response to a critical situation. For example, knowing
that the roof needs to be replaced within the next five
years allows you to take the necessary pre-emptive
steps in planning for its replacement before it becomes
an immediate risk to failure – and, even worse, a potential health risk to an occupant. By gathering information
on each building component, its current condition, its
remaining life expectancy, and its anticipated cost for
renewal, you can create a Needs Report.
Our discussion about Needs Reports leads into a conversation about what the difference is between capital
needs and maintenance needs. It is mentioned that
capital work results in renewing a component’s life expectancy through replacement or significant improvements. Capital work may have been deemed necessary
due to normal use, premature failure, unplanned events
or because improvements to the buildings performance
are required. Meanwhile, maintenance work is typically
The Portfolio Plan
Although this next step usually pulls away from what
we typically want to do, at the Gathering we discuss together the importance of organizations going through
a Portfolio Planning exercise before spending resources
and efforts creating Capital Plans and Maintenance
Plans. With the assessment data included in a Needs Report, an organization is able to conduct some analysis
of the portfolio of assets. The Needs Report is a great
way to trigger some challenging questions and conversations with staff, CEOs, and Boards; here are just a few
questions that came up in our discussions:
ll What is the average condition of our entire housing
portfolio? And why?
ll What level of condition is reasonable or unacceptable
for our asset types, resident type, and/or organizations’
level of standards?
ll What and where are our highest liabilities and risks
to our organization and residents due to building
condition?
ll Instead of continuously planning for renovations of
all our housing, what can be done with the existing
properties that will better suit the long-term goals of
the organization and community?
ll What type of funding and/or collaboration
opportunities should be explored so that the existing
assets can be managed according to the long-term
goal for the property?
ll Once the tenant has moved out, should we move
ahead with filling the vacancy or is this now an
opportunity to divest or re-purpose this asset so that
additional units can be created within the community?
Continued Page 12 >
During one of the conversations we discuss what is
a Needs Report, Portfolio Plan, Capital Plan, and a
Maintenance Plan. As the conversation develops, we
explain how they serve different purposes but are still
all related and interrelated.
11
DISCUSSION TOPICS
This sampling of questions translates into critical conversations that need to happen before planning future
renovations and renewal projects. Every organization is
different, so the questions need to be catered to ensure
the strategic planning is appropriate for the organization.
This is the stage that can be challenging in a good way.
Portfolio Planning should be done at first with a lens
to ensure viability and long term growth for an organization but then be followed up with a social lens to
ensure the mandate of the organization and needs of
the community are being addressed.
Based on the results of the Portfolio Planning conversations, the long-term goals for each asset can be identified.
Next, organizations can focus their efforts on planning
how to best approach the necessary needs of the building as identified in the Needs Report.
The Capital Plan
12
One of the temptations of a Needs Report is to simply call it a Capital Plan. However, a good Capital Plan
needs to be created using some technical knowledge
but it really relies on general property management
common sense. This step is done by taking the data
from the Needs Report and grouping the necessary
capital renewal work into well thought out projects
over the life of the asset or, in other words, a “Capital
Plan.” For example, a Needs Report may identify that the
windows will need replacement in Year 1, the exterior
door in Year 2, and then the siding in Year 3. Instead,
grouping these items together into one year on a Capital Plan will be more cost effective, will reduce disruption to residents, and will reduce workload stress since
the organization will only be managing one project
instead of three.
Also by integrating all the related work components
together installations are more robust and maintaining
records or warrantees becomes easier. So, by creating a
Capital Plan, you are essentially taking capital renewal
needs and turning them into future projects. As we
create our Capital Plan, we should also be referring back
to our Portfolio Plan since the priority and grouping of
the renewal needs may be influenced by the vision or
long-term plan for the asset. For example, unless it was
due to a health or safety risk, it wouldn’t be justified to
replace all the windows of a house identified as an ideal
candidate for redevelopment opportunities within the
next year. As such, your Capital Plan should reflect the
vision of your Portfolio Plan.
The Maintenance Plan
Although we didn’t spend too much time on the subject, there is an appreciation that the same concepts
for creating a good Capital Plan also apply to creating
a good Maintenance Plan. Although your intentions
of maintaining safe and healthy homes for occupants
should not change during their tenancy, organizations
should ensure their Maintenance Plan and Operations
reflect the planned projects outlined in the Capital Plan
and the long-term vision of the asset as outlined in the
Portfolio Plan.
A few members in the discussion groups share similar
stories of where significant costs were spent on maintenance or renewing major building components because
the vision of the Portfolio Plan was not established or
considered. Unfortunately, sometimes due to existing
Continued Page 13 >
operating agreements and available funding sources,
this may have to be the case and the Portfolio Plan will
need to be re-reviewed and modified.
Asset Management
One of the rules with Portfolio, Capital, and Maintenance
Planning is that once you’ve considered it done, be
prepared to start all over again. We end the discussions
by talking about how there are so many unplanned
and external factors in the social housing industry that
directly affect how and what we do with our assets.
Required changes to our Needs Reports, Portfolio Plan,
Capital Plan, and a Maintenance Plan can come in many
forms; including, changes in community needs, housing
demands, weather, resident use, resident move-outs,
premature building component failures, and others.
With that in mind, answering the question of how often
should we re-assess our buildings and re-review all of
these Asset Management tools can be answered quite
easily… it’s whenever it makes sense too. n
AHMA is actively working on initiatives that will assist
Aboriginal CBOs with:
ll Sourcing out effective Asset Management tools
or ensuring existing tools (like, Asset Planner)
are implemented appropriately for the various
capacities of our CBOs
ll Gathering and analyzing asset condition data for the
purpose of creating Needs Reports, Portfolio Plan,
Capital Plan, and a Maintenance Plan
ll Developing training and resources within AHMA
that can then provide capacity-building support
to CBOs, to ensure resources necessary for Asset
Management can be kept within the organizations
and the Aboriginal community
ll Conducting analysis on the entire Aboriginal
housing portfolio in order to leverage existing
funding, new funding sources, collaboration
opportunities, Aboriginal procurement capacity
building and Aboriginal capacity building
opportunities
01
02
03
04
05
06
07
08
09
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
AHMA Staff
01
02 03
04
Ray Gerow,
Chief Executive Officer
Lloyd “Tag” Taghavi,
Chief Financial Officer
Carol Endrizzi,
Director of Operations
David Silva,
Director of Corporate Services
05 Alexandra Christian,
Aboriginal Portfolio Advisor
06 Connie Mah,
Administrative Assistant
07 Debra Webber,
Team Assistant
08 Geoff Butchart,
09 Jennifer Williams,
Team Assistant
10 Karen Quan,
11 Nizar Laarif,
Business Manager
12 Rachel Humenny,
Communications Manager
13 Sandra Eatmon,
14 Sarah Eckert,
AHMA Board of Directors
15 Chief Dale Harry, President
16 Tina Larouche, Vice President
17 Michael Bonshor, Treasurer
18 Adam Munnings, Director
19 Josie Whitehead, Director
20 Rudy Small, Director
21 George Girouard, Director
Meet AHMA’s Staff & Board
13
DISCUSSION TOPICS
MONIKA CZYZ
by
Helping
UBC SCARP Student
Community
Members Get
“Ready to Rent”
S
even years ago, a group
of non-profit agencies in
Victoria were concerned
about the number of unstable families in the community who couldn’t
progress in their lives because of a
lack of access to adequate housing.
Convinced that building more units
– a mostly expensive and unfeasible
option – was not the only answer, they embarked on a
research project in the hopes of finding an alternative
solution to the housing problem that was plaguing
their communities.
They found their answer in Portland, Oregon, in the
form of a housing readiness education model called
“Ready to Rent.” The model, taught over six two-hour
classes and covering topics like credit, debt, budgeting,
communication skills, and the Residential Tenancy Act,
educated students about the basics of tenancy, while
increasing chances of obtaining housing by providing
graduates with a “Ready to Rent” certificate that could
be used in lieu of a reference. The Victoria agencies
adopted the model, revamped it to fit British Columbia’s
laws and culture, and began running courses across the
island.
14
“At the beginning, we were practically dragging people
off the streets to come into the course,” recalls Colleen
Kasting, Community Development Manager for Ready
to Rent BC, Canada’s only training program of this kind.
“Because if you’ve had a bad education experience in
the past, which many of these people had, why would
you want to go back into a classroom?”
In following an empowerment model of education,
the program slowly attracted a wide demographic of
people, all of whom were experiencing difficulty finding
or keeping a home. To date, the program has graduated
750 people, 50% of whom identify as Aboriginal. “What
we do is we give people the tools and skills to do what
they need to do to help themselves,” says Kasting.
“And as people learn about good tenancy, they realize they know something, and they start to own that
knowledge.
“Once the door to learning is opened,
other doors open.”
12 Hours of Knowledge
On the first day of each course, Kasting asks students
to imagine that someone has just asked to borrow their
brand new Lamborghini and that they are obliged to
lend it, but they must first set out certain conditions.
Students usually respond with a long list of answers; it
must be kept clean, returned in a good state, with no
traffic infractions.
“And then the light just goes on,” Kasting says. “People
start to realize that a rental unit might be worth the same
as a really nice car, and somebody actually owns it and
has to make payments on it. Peoples’ perspectives start to
shift, and suddenly the landlord isn’t the bad guy anymore, and you start to develop the relationship that way.
“We really believe that when you’ve got a good tenant that understands what the landlord needs and the
landlord respects the tenant, that’s when you’ve got
something working and you’ve got it working long-term,”
she adds.
For people living on reserve, the course can be beneficial in teaching budgeting and communications skills.
For those planning to leave the reserve, it is instrumental in preparing to transition from one set of policies
to provincial policies, with which they might not be
familiar.
“It can be scary enough as it is, but without the tools
to do it, the chances of things falling apart and people
moving back are pretty great,” Kasting says.
Continued Page 15 >
Upon graduating from the course, students receive a
Ready to Rent certificate, which is marked on the BC
Housing registry and can be used in lieu of a reference.
Many non-profits, as well as some private landlords,
recognize the certificate, and as the program continues
to grow and expand, it likely will be more accepted.
M’akola Group of Societies uses the certificate as a
“carrot,” giving extra points on their own points system
to graduates of the program, moving them ahead on
the housing waitlist. The idea is to encourage people to
take the course.
One participant* at the Spring Gathering states that
such a program is needed in her small community,
where many of the young people who leave end up
coming back: “We need to try and think and recreate,
and I think this could be something,” she says.
Kasting explains that one way the program has been
expanding is through a train-the-trainer model, in which
staff with facilitation backgrounds from various agencies
can get trained in the curriculum, then bring it back to their
communities. On reserve, where people with facilitation
backgrounds are not always readily available, a “co-facilitator” system could be employed, where band members could
work alongside trained facilitators, learning in the process.
“As a housing provider, you know that even if this person has other issues going on, they at least have these
12 hours of knowledge behind them that they didn’t
have before, and you can start from that perspective
when working with tenants,” Kasting says.
In either case, Kasting places heavy emphasis on the
importance of the program being community-based: “The
resources need to come from within because yes, we have
knowledge that can be used, but we are not the community,
nor should we be. Every community is different and has its
own connections and people, and the more knowledge
that’s there, the stronger the program is going to be.”
Kasting also notes that the organization does not give
references to any past graduates, being careful to walk
the fine line between “not advocating for the tenant
and not advocating for the landlord, but somewhere in
between.”
Another participant echoes Kasting’s comments, stressing
the need for local facilitators. “That personal connection
is so important where people are kind of responsible
for their education; and, it could be a good relationship
building tool for Housing Providers,” she says.
“All we know is those 12 hours of their lives, but it’s
something that we know will bring them one step
closer to the next,” says Kasting.
In the train-the-trainer model, Ready to Rent BC follows up
with agency staff monthly to maintain a formal relationship
and ensure that the trainers are continuously supported,
able to raise any issues throughout the process.
Expanding In B.C.: The Train-the-Trainer Model
Currently, Ready to Rent runs courses in Victoria, Duncan, Campbell River, and on six First Nations reserves.
But the program is looking to expand across B.C., and
Kasting was curious to know if, and how, it could work
in other communities.
Overcoming Barriers
Spring Gathering participants agree the program could
be valuable, but raise concerns about both the costs
of training — $600 per facilitator, in addition to travel
expenses — as well as the feasibility of getting it out to
remote communities.
Continued Page 16 >
*Names withheld to promote free conversation
“When people go out there to find housing, the bands
want them to be doing it from a position of strength,
and that’s what the program is helping with,” she says.
15
“Anything we can do to help our people is really critical,
so in the longer term this is something that will be really
valuable, but in the short term, the costs will be a barrier, and we need to take that into consideration,” says a
Gathering participant from a more rural part of B.C.
Other participants suggest that a way to minimize costs
would be to attach the three-and-a-half-day facilitator training session to the beginning or end of another
event to which people must already travel, such as
AHMA’s Annual General Meeting in Vancouver, which
many Housing Providers from across the province
would already attend.
“Geography is such a huge issue, but if we had that
initial group of facilitators trained, we would have the
ability to grow out and build capacity from there,” says
the participant. Kasting notes that Ready to Rent BC
staff could also travel to remote communities, provided
there was enough interest (and group rates could be
negotiated).
Some attendees also suggest that the training, or parts
of the training, go online. Kasting cautioned that there
is a lot of information to absorb, asserting that ensuring
quality control of all aspects — the training, manual,
curriculum, and certificate — would remain a priority, in
order for the course to be worth something.
“Moving forward, and certainly ongoing, we’ll probably
have to go online somehow, but we want to find a way
of meeting the need and still keeping our heads on
our shoulders, in order for us to survive as an organization,” Kasting says. She adds that the program is much
more effective face-to-face, being that it is just as much
about relationship-building as it is about knowledgebuilding.
Creating what we don’t have
16
Partnerships in delivering the program are also key in
making it work, Kasting says. She suggests that the nature
of these partnerships — whether they be through individual groups, backbone organizations like AHMA, societies, social service providers, friendship centres, colleges,
or a mixture — is still up for debate.
“Housing is at the centre of everything, but it’s not just
the house but the soil around the house that matters, and
the soil between the two houses; people have to grow
and nurture, and they need both sides of it,” she says.
Several attendees from transition housing agencies ask
whether the program could be adapted to meet the
needs of tenants in transition.
“We’re hearing it from both sides that many women
moving from transition housing into permanent housing are not prepared,” says one Transition Society attendee. “There needs to be a way to merge that gap in
some way that would make it possible to house women
who want to be housed.”
Given the short period of stay in Transition Housing,
Kasting says that the course would have to be run
differently in order to prevent students from getting
overwhelmed; perhaps in smaller, or fewer, modules.
Another Transition Society attendee suggests the
course could run over an extra week past the 30-day
stay, for those women who had not yet succeeded in
obtaining housing.
“At the Transition House, we have a captive audience —
they live there,” the attendee says, adding that in-house
staff could run the course. “Women are really interested
in making the best opportunities they can for them and
their children; they just need the knowledge.”
“Everything’s up for negotiation,” Kasting
says. “Where there’s a need, there has to
be a way.”
Acknowledging the biggest barrier to the expansion of
the program — funding — Kasting emphasizes that this
is only the beginning of the conversation. “We know
that the program is working so we just want to talk
about what’s possible and try to work through it,” she
says.
“My philosophy is ‘create what we don’t have’; that’s
how this all got started in the first place.” n
For more information, visit:
www.readytorentbc.net
DISCUSSION TOPICS
MEGAN HEROD
by
UBC SCARP Student
Finding Home:
O
ver time, discrimination
can strip away the layers
of who we are as human
beings: family, culture, tradition,
compassion, and community. You
can take someone away from home
and put them in a soulless, unfeeling institution: a residential school
or a penitentiary.
we’ve never met before, coming to
this event from different communities and different backgrounds. We
share laughter and tears, as well as
personal experiences and ideas for
change.
“But our sense of belonging doesn’t
go away,” states a Spring Gathering participant*. “Sense of home
[is] where I feel a connection to,
belonging to. I know this is home
because I feel totally full when I go
there. I don’t think anybody loses
that completely.”
There is a distinction between a
home and housing. Housing is where
we live, but home is the place where
we can be who we truly are. It is not
necessarily where we were born and
it may take years to find. Finding
home “is about finding ourselves. If
we don’t do that, it doesn’t matter
how great or safe that house is,” says
one participant.
It’s a sunny March day in North Vancouver when we pull our chairs into
a circle in the gym of the Chief Joe
Mathias Centre at the Aboriginal
Housing Management Association’s
2014 Spring Gathering. We find
ourselves in this circle to discuss
housing discrimination against
people with criminal records. We
are sitting side by side with those
Finding Home
Housing discrimination can be experienced in many forms: It is spoken out loud when you are evicted
because too many relatives live in
one apartment. The consequence
is grandchildren separated from
grandparents and sent into the care
of the government.
Continued Page 18 >
“
Discriminatory
housing is an
outcome of a
system founded
in inequality. Yet,
despite the clarity
of the problem, the
solution is blurred.
Lives unfold along
what seems to be
a predetermined
path as history
repeats itself. These
mothers, fathers,
and grandparents
are fighting against
a fate that seems
pre-determined.”
An Investigation of
Housing Discrimination
17
18
It is written in the injustice of
water bills that you paid for years
until you discover that you never
were supposed to pay them in the
first place. It is visible in homeless shelters when institutions
consider a suitable discharge plan
from penitentiary to be a bed in a
temporary homeless shelter. It is
read in a housing application form
that asks for a driver’s licence and
employment history that you don’t
have. It is evident when the sign on
the window stating “for rent” turns
to “occupied” when you inquire;
when finding housing
is dependent on a sympathetic landlord rather
than on a vacant property;
when race, ability, gender,
culture, criminal past, and
income status become
your only acknowledged
profile; and when there
are more restrictions than
allowances: Women Only,
Adults Only, Professionals
Only, Authorized Occupants Only.
bourhoods where high rates of
crime, poverty, and a lack of services
(Public Safety Canada, 2007) are
endemic. In these communities, the
likelihood of re-offense is increased.
Barriers to Appropriate Housing
“For example, we have a policy
about how many people can live
in an Aboriginal home, meaning
Uncle will have to go to a homeless
shelter,” the participant says.
Finding affordable and adequate
housing is challenging for almost
everyone. For people with a criminal record in their past it can be an
insurmountable obstacle (O’Leary,
2013). This is most clearly demonstrated in Chicago where 50% of
people relying on homeless shelters
are former offenders (Chicago
Tribune, 2013). Public Safety Canada
highlights that offenders released
from prison rarely receive support
in finding housing. As a result, former offenders often end up returning to their living circumstances
prior to incarceration, which tend to
be in criminogenic neighbourhoods
(Palermo, 2009). These are neigh-
The uncle’s integration back into
the family, which would have been
whole and loving and safe “was
not possible,” states a Gathering
participant. “Because of a policy, he
is discriminated against. There are
policies in place that don’t allow
them to come home even if their
families want them to.“
A System Founded in Inequality
Aboriginal people are over-represented in the correctional system,
while under-represented in society.
Aboriginal Canadians comprise
less than 4% of the total Canadian
population while, at the same time,
comprise 22% of the prison population (Globe and Mail, 2012).
Many of these individuals struggle
with addiction and alcohol abuse
but are in a system that encourages
penalty rather than support.
Family members end up in
prison once, twice, three
times, and more; their only
alternative is living on the
street or in a shelter. This is
institutional separation from
the world outside — where
can they go from here?
“We go to agencies and stand
in line and are given a condo
or apartments and even a
community garden plot,” says
one participant.
Another barrier to finding housing
is legislation that may discriminate
against fair housing for people with
criminal records. Landlords are not
allowed to mandatorily request a
criminal record check from a potential
tenant, yet at the same time they are
allowed to ask that the prospective
tenant supply a criminal record check.
This serves as a convenient loophole
for landlords seeking to avoid housing offenders when a simple denial
of this request by a tenant says all the
landlord needs to know.
“Then we wait in line for food handouts — herded from one line to the
next. An apartment is not what we
need. A shared community garden
plot with 50 other people is not how
I want to grow my vegetables. The
poor people are all living in one place.
When my kids go to school the other
children know they came from the
poor housing.”
Discriminatory housing is an outcome
of a system founded in inequality. Yet,
despite the clarity of the problem, the
solution is blurred. Lives unfold along
what seems to be a predetermined
path as history repeats itself. These
mothers, fathers, and grandparents
are fighting against a fate that seems
predetermined.
Continued Page 19 >
to move forward with mutual
understanding and respect for
Aboriginal culture. It provides
a platform for nurturing new
relationships and strengthening
existing ones. “When we were
in elementary school, Canadian
history was (just) about settlers,”
says a participant. “So a lot of our
new generation doesn’t understand
why we have these cycles of
poverty, homelessness, etc. In order
for this country to improve, we need
to understand what the impacts of
our history are.”
Fundamental to shifting away from
discriminatory housing is instilling
the values of empathy, love, and
care in the creation of new and
existing policies and in the formation of meaningful partnerships.
These can only be achieved by
understanding the diverse fabric of
a community.
“It has to come back to our beliefs,”
states a participant. “Our culture.
How we as a community relate to
each other. If we keep doing the
policies the way we are, things are
never going to change.”
These voices advocating change
demonstrate the brokenness of
our current system, as more than
merely a flawed institution, but as a
perpetuator of discrimination that
breaks apart communities, relocates
families, and reacts to calls for help
with prison and penalty.
Yet, there is hope. This hope lies
within the creation of relationships
built on shared understandings
as the foundation for truly finding
home. n
AHMA’s own Jennifer Williams (left) and her dance partner Lacey Baker (right) perform
with the Squamish Nation dance group, Eagle Song Dancers, at the opening of the
2014 Spring Gathering.
Patient but resolute, at the Spring
Gathering, a room full of individuals
dedicated to improving the lives of
those around them describe their
hope for change:
ll Creating Aboriginal Policies:
This means more than putting
“Aboriginal” in the title of a
policy. This would require
creating policy that reflect the
needs of Aboriginal people,
which then requires Aboriginal
people get the freedom to
develop policies for themselves.
A participant states it best:
“Policies: They’re something that
we’re born into and prohibit any
growth and participation.” An
example of an Aboriginal-centric
policy would be recognizing the
communal nature of the culture
and, therefore, allowing people
living on social assistance to
combine their full allotments
and move in together without a
reduction in payment.
ll Partnerships: The formation of
relationships and partnerships
recognizes that housing
discrimination is a societal
problem that requires multiple
agencies working together
to ensure the success of an
individual. A New Zealand
model takes a holistic approach
by assigning a worker who is
responsible for connecting
clients with the services they
need from school to social
services to legal support.
ll Education: An example of
an educational model that
could be widely adopted is the
Cowichan Valley “Understanding
the Village” workshop series,
which educates teachers and
other service providers about
the roots of the community
and the history of residential
schools. The workshops
teach the participants how
19
DISCUSSION TOPICS
JANINA SARMIENTO
by
Freelance Writer
A Lifeline of Hope:
Exploring the benefits of Community Voice Mail
example that has helped more than
50,000 people today across 40 cities nationwide. It is a free tool that
allows safe communication by assigning individual phone numbers
to users. Similar to a virtual cellphone that is available 24/7, each
member sets up his or her voicemail
by recording a greeting that will
be played whenever someone calls
their assigned number. The members then can check their voicemails
for messages anytime from any
handset.
T
20
he Spring Gathering
offered a chance for
Aboriginal CommunityBased Organizations (CBOs), private
enterprises, and government
officials to participate in dialogue
about pressing issues within Aboriginal communities. One of the
topics discussed at the event was
the Community Voice Mail (CVM)
program, which has been a proven
solution for individuals who are disconnected from society by the lack
of communication that is necessary
to build their lives.
Without a dedicated phone number, many individuals are faced with
roadblocks, preventing them from
receiving housing offers, job opportunities, and, ultimately, integration
into society.
Problems instantly arise for these
individuals: What if an agency needs
to inform an individual that they
have been approved for housing?
What contact number will they
provide when applying for jobs?
How can they keep in touch with
their family? James Foster, Manager
of Community Voice Mail at Lu’ma
Native Housing Society, led the conversation about CVM and how it has
been changing lives by allowing individuals to boost their confidence,
preserve their dignity, and, more
importantly, fulfill their life goals.
What is Community Voice Mail?
Initially launched in Seattle, Washington, the Community Voice Mail program is a successful and inspirational
“It promises a form of
communication and so
much more,” says James.
“To many, this is their connection to housing, job opportunities, and family.”
Currently in its fifth year of the program, Lu’ma Native Housing Society
has been operating as the central
program host agency for Canada.
Marcel Swain, Lu’ma’s Executive
Director, and James, along with the
support of partner and government
agencies, have been instrumental
in facilitating the growth of CVM in
British Columbia. What started as
a program with 500 local numbers
and 25 partner agencies has now
grown to 1,700 local numbers and
100 partner agencies.
The program’s network of partner
agencies continues to expand with
Continued Page 19 >
Achieving Goals with CVM
Not only does CVM provide a safe
method of communication, it also
promotes engagement. “When
someone signs up for the program,
they have the opportunity to think
about what their next steps are
and set their goals,” says James.
“There is nothing more rewarding
than hearing messages from users
telling me how grateful they are for
the program and how well they are
doing with their life.”
Partner agencies can track the
users’ progress on their goals
through the members’ account
activity. This is a concern among
the Spring Gathering conversation participants; however, James
explains that the tracking is solely
to ensure the members are actively
using their numbers and working
towards their goals. “We want to
know how the program is doing
and who is finding success in using
CVM,” he says.
Who Uses CVM?
According to the latest CVM report,
4,000 members have signed up as
of March 13, 2014, with the two
largest demographics being 36%
Aboriginal users and 48% Caucasian users. At the Spring Gathering,
James describes to the group that
this is an important finding because
the diversity among the members
leads to the fact that the program
addresses a wider issue, regardless
of a person’s ancestry. The majority
of CVM members have listed employment and housing as their primary goals, which shows that many
are striving to build their lives.
The program’s weekly resource
broadcast message is another way
of promoting engagement among
the CVM community members.
James compiles and shares community updates for members on a
weekly basis.
Since its initial launch in February
2010, CVM members have successfully achieved over 2,000 goals and
counting, such as receiving housing, connection to social services
and healthcare, employment, and
safe communication for individuals in domestic violence situations.
These results are promising for the
program, as it expands across the
country.
Prince George & CVM
The Lu’ma Native Housing Society
has been supporting the expansion
of CVM with the recent launch at
the Prince George Métis Housing
Society. Prince George is the first
city in B.C., outside of Vancouver, to
run its own CVM program.
Leo Hebert, Executive Director
of PGMHS, states his excitement
about the program’s launch: “It has
been less than a month since we
launched CVM, but so far we have
received great moral support and
lots of interest about the program.”
Leo first heard about the program
a few years ago and recognized
its potential for the Prince George
community.
“I announce free events and opportunities, such as art/entertainment events, food, and weather. It
shows the members that [CVM] is
not just a phone number, but also
a human connection. Some people
prefer to receive news and updates
through other ways, such as wordof-mouth.”
Sharing these announcements also
allows people to plan their days
around events and return to Community Voice Mail repeatedly to
take advantage of this resource.
“We have a long waiting list of
people who are waiting for housing,” Leo says.
“People come in and apply
for housing, but two weeks
later, you can’t contact
them. The house becomes
available but there’s no
way of reaching them.”
Continued Page 20 >
the involvement of health, employment, and women’s services, as
well as housing/shelter, youth and
justice, and community centres
and societies (visit http://lnhs.ca/
community-voice-mail/partner-service-providers/ for a complete list of
partner agencies).
21
“The same can also be said
about doctor’s appointments,” Leo continues.
“This is another solution
that we can use to benefit
their lives through these
social services. It helps us
to maintain connections
with people and build a
network between agencies
and organizations.”
As the Prince George program begins the initial phase of its launch,
Leo is optimistic of the growing
support and interest the program
has been receiving, including a
letter of support from the mayor of
Prince George. Conversation participants at the Spring Gathering from
Prince George also expressed their
excitement over CVM’s local launch.
What’s next for Community
Voice Mail?
Marcel hopes to have CVM in at
least 10 of the larger urban cities in
Canada by 2016.
“The ultimate goal is to take it to the
15 urban centres, such as Thompson
Okanagan region, Thunder Bay, and
Prince George. Based on the current
activity of the program, we should be
able to serve around 40,000 members
in the next couple of years,” he says.
Marcel has been working with the
federal government to receive
financial support in order to attain
these goals. Current service provider partners, such as the City of
Vancouver, Vancity, The Aboriginal
Homelessness Steering Committee,
and other financial and government
institutions, provide the necessary
infrastructure and financial support
that is needed for the program.
A handful of conversation participants
involved in finding resources for those
in need, such as women in Transition
Houses, expressed genuine interest in
bringing the program to individuals
outside of the province. With plans to
expand nationwide, the future looks
bright for the growth of CVM, connecting individuals across the country
to their communities, services, and
loved ones one number at a time —
offering a true lifeline of hope. n
If you are interested in learning
more about Community Voice
Mail, please contact James Foster at
Lu’ma Native Housing Society:
25 6th Ave W, Vancouver, BC
604-876-0811
[email protected]
http://lnhs.ca/community-voicemail/
Eagle Eye Contest
F
lip through the Spring 2014 edition of AHMA
Gathering, check every photo, and contact us with
the page number of the full photo — as based on the
snippet shown in the eagle’s wing to the right. It could be a
person, place or thing featured in the issue, so look carefully
and enter before August 15, 2014 for a chance to win!
Eagle Eye Contest Details:
22
1. The Contest runs from July 15, 2014 at 12:00 a.m. (PST) to August 15, 2014 at 11:59 p.m. (PST). One entrant will be
awarded one prize. At the end of the contest period, a winner will be randomly chosen and sent an email to the email address provided at time of entry.
2. To enter, send an email to [email protected] with all of the following information: the subject line title
“Eagle Eye Contest,” the correct page number of the full photo, your full name, your mailing address, your phone number,
and your preferred email address. One entry per person.
3. Prize: The prize may not be redeemed or exchanged for cash or credit. The prize package is a large blanket decorated
with Aboriginal designs worth $75 CAD retail.
4. The winner agrees to release his or her name and/or photo to be used by AHMA in any further communications regarding AHMA or the Contest.
DISCUSSION TOPICS
EMMA FINEBLIT
by
UBC SCARP Student
Need
for Indigenizing Housing
The
in British Columbia
AHMA’s mandate is to oversee off-reserve Aboriginal housing, but what actually
constitutes Aboriginal housing? Aboriginal Community-Based Organizations (CBOs)
weigh in on how their organizations are “Indigenizing housing” in B.C.
“Any time that I see language like ‘Indigenizing,’ that really draws me” says one participant* at the AHMA 2014
Spring Gathering.
Hosted by Aboriginal architect Alfred Waugh, of Formline
Architecture + Urbanism, the conversations cover a wide
range of topics, from ceremonial spaces to family considerations to bureaucratic challenges, which all form a part
of what it means to provide culturally appropriate housing for Aboriginal individuals and communities.
The discussions start off by acknowledging that each
nation — and each person within a nation — is different, so what “indigenizing housing” means to one First
Nations family living on reserve in Northern British Columbia, for example, will be very different from what it
might mean to a single Métis male living in downtown
Vancouver. Nevertheless, several themes emerge in conversations that are common concerns, challenges, and
aspirations for many of the participants.
Consultation is Key
There is a general consensus in the conversations that
what had been provided by way of housing to Aboriginal communities in the past was not sufficient or
appropriate. One Gathering participant* tells a story
of a friend whose long-term home had been recently
renovated. Her friend was not consulted about the
renovation, and when she saw the result — the new,
more industrial-feeling materials chosen — remarked,
“This isn’t what I would choose.”
In an effort to improve the quality of her
unit, her home’s “Indigenous” character
had been taken away.
Soon after, the woman became sick and eventually
ended up having to move from that home to restore
her health. This story indicates the deep connection
between the home and one’s spiritual, emotional, and,
even physical, well-being. If a home does not reflect its
inhabitant’s needs and identities, then it is sure to be
problematic.
Continued Page 24 >
D
ozens of Aboriginal Community-Based
Organizations (CBOs) from across British Columbia gather on a Friday morning in March
to discuss what “Indigenizing housing” means to them.
23
Attendees at the Spring Gathering identify the lack of
community consultation as a major cause of insufficient
or inappropriate housing for Aboriginal communities.
Alfred Waugh points out that a typical First Nations
housing development has taken the form of a Western
suburb, which disregards community behaviour patterns. Several participants emphasize the need to listen
to communities, to ask about their protocols and the
way they traditionally built homes, and involve communities in the process of designing and building their
homes.
Space Constraints and Community Centres
24
Another example that shows the need for Indigenized
design is the tradition of holding wakes for deceased
loved ones in a family’s home. An attendee at the event
says that modern cookie-cutter homes don’t have living
rooms big enough to accommodate wakes, so community members are forced to use other facilities to host
their ceremonies. As another participant puts it, “When
we gather, we gather,” she says. “Everybody comes!”
Participants share several examples of creative solutions
to the space constraints created by these homes. In
some urban communities, like Prince George and Vancouver, the local Friendship Centre would provide space
to accommodate ceremony and gatherings. These public
venues also offered opportunities to build community
and to educate youth about traditional practices.
For other housing providers, the solution lay in the
building itself.
While individual family units were too small to host
gatherings, organizations like Lu’ma and Vancouver Native Housing Societies were building shared communal
spaces into multifamily buildings. These multipurpose
rooms in bigger developments could be used by all the
tenants in the building to host parties and BBQs.
Other organizations, like Skwachays Lodge and
Cwenengitel Aboriginal Housing Society, went a step
further by building ceremonial spaces, like a sweat
lodge or a fire pit, into their community-based facilities
to meet the spiritual needs of residents and maintain
cultural traditions.
Connection to Nature
When it comes to cultural considerations in home
design, a connection to nature was also considered by
many to be important. As a participant says, “We don’t
care about the lawn. We want to keep the trees… It
helps me stay in touch with my culture.”
Whether it is an organic building design that fits in with
the natural environment or some space in an urban
development for gardening, a connection to the land is
an important element of a home, say most participants.
Continued Page 25 >
Intergenerational Living
Another common theme among participants is a desire
for housing that can accommodate multiple generations of families. Whether it be Elders living in isolation
or young mothers needing the support of their grandmothers, mothers, or aunties to raise children, there was
a strong desire for extended families to be able to live
together — or, at least, in close proximity to each other.
A participant describes growing up with her extended
family living nearby fondly: “I could have breakfast anywhere — I miss that.”
While some new housing developments are designed
to accommodate only one demographic – a seniors’
building or a young adults’ building, for example, one
participant suggests that the ideal should be a “village
in a building.”
It is important, he says, not to separate men from women
or elders from youth, because the whole community is
“re-learning who we are and what our roles are.”
Another way to think of Indigenizing housing, as one
participant puts it, is “self-determination through housing.”
To some participants, this means homeownership in
the deepest sense. They feel that community members
should be involved in the construction of their own
homes (learning skills and developing a sense of ownership and pride over the place they call home in a “sweat
equity” ownership model). Homeownership means
independence and self-sufficiency.
One participant expresses that there is a fear in her
community associated with homeownership. Some
community members were uncomfortable taking out
a mortgage, for example. To her, self-determination
means that homeownership should not be imposed on
a community that doesn’t want it.
A Sense of Place
Among all the exciting ideas that participants are
coming up with for how to Indigenize housing, are
the occasional sobering reminders of the bureaucratic
challenges and resource shortages that everyone faces.
These range from fire permits needed for a sweat lodge,
to design elements that don’t fit Indigenous family
structures, to lack of adequate land to meet the community’s needs.
“We need to look at Indigenizing policies,” suggests
one participant.
Another participant sums up the difference in worldviews at the heart of this conflict:
What the community needs, she says, is
“a sense of place rather than space.”
Creative Solutions
Creative solutions are needed for this challenging
situation, and it looks like the future could include
varied and multi-faceted solutions. Strategic government partnerships, use of shared communal spaces or
programming to build community are just a few ways
that Aboriginal CBOs in B.C. are creating their own
approaches to overcoming this housing challenge to
Indigenize housing for the communities they serve. n
Ownership
25
DISCUSSION TOPICS
KRISTIN PATTEN
by
UBC SCARP Student
A Multi-Agency
Model to Creating
Affordable Housing
I
26
n the current political and
economic context, where
dollars to build affordable
housing are scarce, a conversation
at the AHMA 2014 Spring Gathering starts with sharing a case study
focused on a ‘multi-agency’ model
to create affordable housing in
British Columbia. The story sparks
conversation among participants*
about the Richmond, BC, example,
but also about the broader idea of
partnerships for collective impact.
The Multi-Agency Model
In 2011, the City of Richmond issued
an Expression of Interest to build a
minimum of 80 affordable housing
units on a city-owned piece of land.
Turning Point Housing Society and
its development consultants, CPA,
reviewed the proposal and knew
that Turning Point could not do
this alone. So, they took the novel
approach of assembling a group of
six non-profit agencies to submit
a collaborative proposal, focusing
specifically on providing housing
for people with low to moderate
incomes with the added benefit of
community amenity space to be
co-located on site. Their bid was
successful; the expected completion
date being Spring 2016. The completed building will be strata-titled;
each agency will own and manage
its own units within the building.
The Community-Based Organizations
(CBOs) involved in the project em-
“
We’re now in
partnership with
a non-Aboriginal
partner that has
never partnered
with the Aboriginal
community before and
trying to get them
over the hurdle and
create that good faith
and continue that
on is the big part of
the job. Once that’s
complete, the rest of
it functions well…I
think the hardest
part is building
the relationship in
advance.”
phasize that with a $43 million price
tag, this project simply would not
have been possible without funding
from multiple levels of government
and the agencies themselves.
Continued Page 27 >
The City used this “Affordable Housing Value Transfer”
to transform the value of built units from two specific
sites into a cash contribution toward the project. The
City is also covering development cost charges, service
cost charges, and permit fees, in addition to providing
$3 million in interim funding to support the non-profit
consortium to achieve project financial viability and BC
Housing financing requirements.
The sheer complexity of six agencies building and managing a housing development
project together, along with the capital
required, offers the questions why anyone
would want to take this on and whether
it could actually work. But, the project is
attracting significant attention because this
innovative model, even in its initial stages,
is proving to be successful.
Case Study: Opportunities and Concerns
The Richmond case study generates discussion at the
Spring Gathering about the feasibility of this particular
model – participants are curious about the financial
structure and particularly how the agencies are able to
keep rents affordable. In the Richmond case, rents are
set at various levels according to income and unit size,
up to a maximum of $850.00 per month.
I, Kristin Patten, a UBC research student host a discussion
about the Richmond case study with participants at the
Spring Gathering. I discuss that the combined equity of
the non-profits and various government partners has
been key to keeping rents affordable, but that it could be
a challenge for rural areas: “The inclusionary zoning and
density bonusing provisions that Richmond used to raise
funds is increasingly being used in urban areas, but may
be more challenging in rural municipalities.”
Some participants see the opportunity in the multi-agency
approach and are interested in learning more, as well as accessing the organizations’ MOUs and Joint Venture agreements to see how they are handling particular issues. At
the same time, there are concerns. AHMA CEO Ray Gerow
raises concerns about the potential of ‘ghettoization’ by
only having low-income units in one building. “It’s healthy
to have mixed-use” he says, adding that this also avoids
stigmatization for those living in low-income units.
Other participants raise questions about the challenges
of mixed tenant populations (whether market/non-market
or the mix of low-income tenants in the Richmond
case study) and how that would be addressed — as
one attendee says, tenants will inevitably ‘meet in the
courtyard’ and other common spaces.
Partnership Approaches: Sharing Our Experiences
“Are partnerships being done out of necessity or because of lack of money and costs?” asks a participant.
Others agree that a lack of funding is driving an increased interest in partnerships, but some emphasized
the potential benefits if partnerships are built on shared
visions in order to pursue collective impact rather than
just coming together to access funding.
And, working in partnership with other Aboriginal organizations is something many Societies are already doing, including using the strength and cohesion of many
Aboriginal organizations in and around Vancouver.
While partnerships add complexity, many participants
at the Gathering discuss the potential of benefitting
from each other’s assets, along with economies of scale
and administrative efficiencies. Participants share their
experiences of partnerships done well: recognizing
each other’s assets, bringing these assets to the table,
identifying where ‘idle capacity’ can benefit the broader
partnership, and sharing success stories. “It’s hard work,
but rewarding,” one participant states.
In the Richmond case study, I share how the non-profits
used the process of creating an MOU and Joint Venture
agreement to build understanding and a strong relationship amongst them.
Continued Page 28 >
Richmond’s Affordable Housing Strategy, passed in
2007, includes zoning requirements that require developments with over 80 units to construct 5% of those
units as affordable rental units in exchange for density
bonusing. However, in special circumstances, the value
of those units can be transferred as a cash-in-lieu contribution toward other affordable housing units in the
city, with council approval.
27
A participant adds an important note about relationship building: “We’re now in partnership with a nonAboriginal partner that has never partnered with the
Aboriginal community before and trying to get them
over the hurdle and create that good faith and continue
that on is the big part of the job. Once that’s complete,
the rest of it functions well…I think the hardest part is
building the relationship in advance.”
He also raises the issue of how to handle un-resolvable
disagreements, emphasizing the need to have a clear
arbitration process outlined in partnership agreements
as conflicts can emerge even in the strongest relationships. Another point arises that choosing who to work
with is critical — and that sometimes choosing not to
partner is the best decision.
The conversations at the AHMA Spring Gathering emphasize the reality of the increased need for partnership
in order to have a community impact. Participants have
their own experiences of the challenges and opportunities of partnerships to share with each other; however,
there is ‘new territory’, particularly in partnerships between CBOs, businesses, and social enterprises that will
arise going forward. Organizations are keen to share
learning and experiences; and, AHMA can play a key
role in facilitating new opportunities and learning. n
Ray asks the question of participants: “What is AHMA’s
role in facilitating partnerships for increased efficiencies, economies of scale AND ensuring community
voice gets heard?”
A full case study of the Multi-Agency Model to Create Affordable Housing in Richmond will be available shortly at
housingjustice.ca.
From multi-agency to multi-partnership
At a Glance:
“We’re looking into more ideas of having a social
enterprise and supporting the affordable housing part
through the revenues generated,” shares one participant. Discussion continues in the group about the
need for multi-partner agreements that go beyond
just community-based organizations. Many are currently looking into the possibilities of partnering with
for-profit businesses or social enterprises and see the
potential for clients to access training and employment
at businesses operating in their buildings.
28
“I would like AHMA to take initiative on this, to create
some media link for communication between Aboriginal organizations providing affordable housing to connect them with the commercial organizations,” adds a
participant.
One participant shares about her CBO’s model, which
includes a restaurant and hospitality/catering service,
and the creative ways that her social enterprises support the organization and vice versa. “We’re feeding our
own organization’s capacity and our social enterprise in
different ways,” she adds.
Other participants suggest that agencies and developers could work together to create a mix of market and
non-market housing where agencies can provide support to low-income tenants while market rents are used
to subsidize low-income units. Given the strong desire
to build broad partnerships, the question arises of how
to create successful multi-partnership models that go
beyond just CBOs?
ll $43 million: Gross capital construction costs
ll 129 units: Each society will own and manage suites
designed for its tenants, as well as providing support
ranging in intensity from limited to full program
participation. A diverse range of low-income tenants
will be housed, including seniors, youth, families,
people with mental-health challenges, women fleeing
abuse, and people recovering from additions. The site
also includes community amenities, such as a gym,
social enterprise spaces, and CBO offices.
ll Non-profit consortium: Turning Point Housing
Society, S.U.C.C.E.S.S, Coast Foundation Society, Tikva
Housing Society, Atira Women’s Resource Society, and
Canadian Mental Health - Pathways Clubhouse. Each
of the non-profit partners will contribute equity to the
project, to a combined total of $1,950,000.
ll Development consultants: CPA Development
Consultants
ll Government partners:
ll City of Richmond: $26,361,021 capital funding and
lease of City-owned land ($6.5 million estimated
land value) for 60 years, in addition to technical staff
support
ll BC Housing: Construction financing and mortgages
ll Government of Canada: $1 million funding through
the Homelessness Partnership Strategy
DISCUSSION TOPICS
HANNAH MCDONALD
by
UBC SCARP Student
Alternative Forms of
Home Ownership
For a variety of reasons, traditional forms of home
ownership may not be appropriate for everyone.
alternative forms of homeownership allows Leo and Mike to share
their knowledge and experience
in developing Prince George’s CLT
model with the event attendees.
Conference participants from across
British Columbia discuss the value
and challenges of homeownership
and how this model might work in
their communities.
Recognizing this, Leo Hebert, Executive
Director of the Prince George Métis
Housing Society, and Mike Lewis, Executive Director of the Canadian Centre
for Community Renewal, are working together to develop a dual home
ownership model for Prince George’s
Aboriginal residents — a Community
Land Trust (CLT) — in which the land is
owned by a community organization
and the house itself is owned by the
individual(s) occupying it.
Over half of Canada’s First Nations
people live off reserve, the majority in urban areas, and this number
is expected to grow in the coming
decades. As questions about housing affordability and the increasing
gap between incomes and housing costs become serious issues
for many Canadian municipalities,
models such as the Prince George
Métis Housing Society’s CLT may
provide some solutions.
Spring Gathering
At AHMA’s 2014 Spring Gathering,
a conversation centered around
“Having a home can help you have
a dream,” she adds.
The CLT model may help to provide
home ownership options to individuals who, for different reasons,
may not be able to enter into the
traditional housing market, allowing them access to the social, emotional, and economic benefits that
can come with such a purchase.
Continued Page 30 >
T
he social and emotional
benefits that come with
the assurance of a safe
and reliable place to call home, regardless of tenure, are undeniable.
PHOTO BY CONNIE MAH
One participant* at the Spring
Gathering discusses how owning a
home can make a huge difference
in a person’s life. “When I had my
first home I was a single mom with
three kids. And I never looked back
from there,” she says. “After that, all I
wanted was a better life for my kids.
In the kind of work I do, everybody’s
high risk when they come in the
room. It’s like owning your own
home is the motivator. It encourages all the kids to work with you.”
29
Many Aboriginal CBOs are
asset-rich, but also
cash-poor
Housing History
Three years ago when Leo accepted
the position of Executive Director
for the Prince George Métis Housing Society, he found himself at the
head of an organization that was
facing some tough decisions.
But first, an understanding of the
historical context is important. Between 1964 and the mid-1970s, as
part of a federally funded, municipally administered public housing
program, over 200,000 social and
non-profit housing units were built
in Canada. This stock of housing
was secured through the establishment of long-term operating
agreements that provided subsidies
to pay the debt on mortgages and
assist with operating deficits, covering the difference between rents
paid by low-income households and
operating expenses.
Many of the PGMHS’s units were
established under this program.
However, since the mid-1980s federal involvement in housing policy
has been declining.
Additionally, one of the most pressing issues facing social housing
providers is the imminent expiration of these long-term operating
agreements.
When Leo assumed leadership in
2011, 23 of the Society’s 107 singlefamily homes had reached or were
nearing the end of their operating
agreements. Facing tough financial
constraints, the organization was
forced to decide between renting
these homes at market rate and selling some just to stay afloat.
“We were eating ourselves from the
inside out,” he says.
The Society, like many others across
the province, found itself asset-rich
and cash-poor.
When Leo discovered Mike’s work, as
the founder and Executive Director
of the non-profit Canadian Centre for
Community Renewal and author of
the book, “The Resilience Comparative,” that includes a chapter on CLTs,
Leo knew he had found another way
to address his challenges.
30
“
As questions about
housing affordability
and the increasing gap
between incomes and
housing costs become
serious issues for many
Canadian municipalities,
models such as the Prince
George Métis Housing
Society’s Community Land
Trust may provide some
solutions. “
In a CLT, a CBO with the mission of
providing permanent affordable
housing owns land and offers individuals the opportunity to purchase
a house located on that community-owned land. The organization
then collects fees from homeowners
to pay for property taxes and other
costs, which essentially equates to
an affordable, renewable, 99-year
lease for the homeowner. Homeowners also have the opportunity
to sell, with the CBO’s approval, at
an equity-restricted rate.
This model ensures long-term affordability.
“The cost of housing is absolutely
dependent on the price of land”
Mike says.
Continued Page 31 >
“When land values go up, the unearned
income of the person who owns that
land goes up. CLTs take the land out of
the free market. Because it’s owned by a
non-profit, charitable, multi-stakeholder
organization, the value of that land can no
longer contribute to the price of a house.
The land is now a community asset and
the mission of the community is to make
sure that land is used to ensure affordability over time.”
The CLT model provides opportunities for organizations
facing a dilemma similar to that of PGMHS. By reducing
the cost of a mortgage to just that of the building, it
provides an alternative to the traditional, “fee simple,”
pathway to homeownership in which the owner purchases both the land and house. For others, the model
strikes an appealing balance between the benefits of
renting and owning.
The pressures facing the PGMHS and its clients are not
uncommon. Lack of affordable housing is a critical issue
for most Canadian municipalities and raises an important question: Is it time to re-examine the importance
placed on ownership and consider a societal paradigm
shift about what constitutes a home?
Is Home Ownership the Goal?
The financial benefits that may come with owning a
home are certainly not a guarantee. According to the
National Housing Institute’s recent research, one can
see that “a disproportionately large share of lower
income homeowners lose their homes, finding themselves back in the rental market a few years later.” An
increased short-term financial burden (in the form of a
down payment and other purchasing costs) and higher
maintenance demands may be unreasonable expectations to place on an individual. Perhaps our societal expectation of homeownership for most may be pushing
people toward making housing choices for which they
are unprepared.
Regardless of tenure, there are social and emotional
benefits for having a sense of home. Indeed, having a
safe and reliable place to live is often the foundation
needed for an individual to begin to manage and excel
in other areas of his or her life.
Non-Traditional Homes
Similar to Leo and Mike’s CLT, there are other nontraditional pathways that can lead to eventual homeownership. These alternatives can often be found in
some form of shared-equity homeownership where the
appreciation of the investment over time is restricted or
shared between multiple stakeholders. Shared equity
approaches may relieve some of the pressure placed on
an individual by distributing the risks and the rewards
of the purchase among several parties.
ll Shared equity mortgages blur the line between debt
and equity by offering potential home buyers the
option of providing a fraction of a standard down
payment in return for a portion of the home’s financial
appreciation.
ll Rent-to-own homes — similar to a car lease — may
assist both home sellers and buyers. Renters pay a
certain amount of ‘rent’ each month and at the end of a
set period of time, generally three to five years, are given
the option to buy the house. Each month of rent paid is
income for the seller, while a portion of it goes toward a
down payment toward eventually buying the home.
Continued Page 32 >
There are several alternative models of homeownership:
According to an article from The Atlantic Cities, though
homes may seem like a good place to invest because
of inevitable home appreciations, the actual rate of
return on home ownership was almost non-existent
between 1890 and 1990. This 100 years of practically
non-existent earnings show a large miscalculation that
says investing in the housing market isn’t as efficient as
conventional wisdom would argue. Homeownership,
mostly through its forced saving effect, can often lead
to a build-up of equity and increased wealth over time.
However, when compared with renting and investing
the difference between the rent and house payments
in low-risk financial assets, ownership does not always
prove to be financially beneficial.
31
ll Limited equity housing restricts the resale value of
a home, which keeps the property affordable over
time, while continuing to deliver stable housing to its
residents. In limited equity housing cooperatives, each
resident owns a share in a corporation that controls
the building or complex in which they live. Each
shareholder owns the right to reside in that building
(as opposed to owning the unit itself ) and pays a
AHMA Strategic Plan: 2013 to 2018 monthly amount that covers the proportionate share
of the expense of operating the entire cooperative.
As operating agreements of social and non-profit housing projects expire, urban populations increase and the
issue of housing affordability becomes more critical.
Re-examination of alternatives such as these may be
necessary in order to offer individuals the opportunities
and independence that come with homeownership.
It could very well be that the CLT housing project in Prince
George will provide the spark needed to ignite a movement towards alternative forms of homeownership. n
INTRODUCTION AHMA’s Role, Vision, Mission and Values AHMA’s Vision, Mission, & Values
The Aboriginal Housing Management Association (AHMA) is the first, and only, off‐reserve Aboriginal self‐government housing agency in Canada. AHMA oversees Aboriginal housing providers in British Columbia, and is expanding to provide leadership on the full spectrum of Aboriginal housing issues, from homelessness to subsidized housing and homeownership. OUR VISION To facilitate and develop Aboriginal homes that is the best response to the Aboriginal Community’s needs. OUR MISSION To lead a holistic, accountable, transparent, innovative housing authority that supports, inspires and responds to the needs of the BC Indigenous community, through partnerships, relationship building and preserving our culture. OUR VALUES In a brainstorming session in June 2013, AHMA’s staff defined six values: responsive, capacity building, holistic, innovative, respect and advocacy. 1.
RESPONSIVE: service oriented, relationship centred, collaborative We value a responsive working culture which is relationship centred and collaborative in approach. 2. CAPACITY BUILDING: empower, self‐sufficient, visionary We strengthen capacity by empowering our stakeholders with self‐sufficiency and visionary practices. AHMAGATHERING • SPRING 2014
3. HOLISTIC: diversity, partnership, growth 32
We deliver holistic leadership by honouring diversity, partnership and growth. 4.
INNOVATIVE: flexible, entrepreneurial We strive for innovation through flexibility, entrepreneurship and creativity (while honoring our experience). 5.
RESPECT: trust, reliable, integrity, accountability We earn the respect of our stakeholders through trust, reliability and accountability. 6. ADVOCACY: supportive, relationship centred We advance the quality of housing for the collective interests of our communities. Final – August 26, 2013 3
EVENT ALBUM
02
03
01
02 Leo Hebert,
Prince George Métis
Housing Society, pitches
his discussion topic on
Alternative Forms of Home
Ownership.
03 Cori Maedel,
Jouta Performance Group,
shares with attendees her
idea for her discussion on
the Power of Dialogue.
04 Rudy Small,
AHMA’s Board of Directors
— Independent Member,
invites participants to
attend his discussion on
AHMA Board structure.
01 Keynote Speaker
Chef Andrew George Jr.
shares tips on how to
create a healthier, more
Indigenous lifestyle.
04
33
EVENT ALBUM
01
02
34
03
01 Eagle Song Dancers,
including Bob Baker, Willie
Lewis, Loni Williams, and
Lacey Baker (L-R), welcome
attendees to the 2014
Spring Gathering.
02 Keynote Speaker
Craig Crawford, VP of
Operations for BC Housing,
shares his experiences
working alongside Aboriginal Community-Based
Organizations (CBOs).
04
03Breakfast,
consisting of bannock,
muffins, fruit, and other
goodies, provided by local
Aboriginal caterers, Catering 2U, is served.
05
04-05 Attendees listen
as speakers at the Opening
Ceremony and Key Note
sessions share.
EVENT ALBUM
06
08
06 Rupinder Cheema,
Vancouver Native Housing
Society, leads his own
discussion topic.
07 Attendees gather
and greet each other before
the start of the Opening
Ceremony.
08 Kevin Albers,
M’akola Group of Societies,
Karen Quan, AHMA, and
Jennifer Fox, M’akola, listen
to the discussion topic
pitches early Thursday
morning.
09
09 Mae Flanders,
Vancouver Native Housing
Society, grabs a quick bag
of freshly popped popcorn.
10
10 Peter Quaw,
Metro Vancouver
Aboriginal Executive
Council, talks with another
attendee during a break.
07
35
EVENT ALBUM
01
02
04
03
36
01 Dana Jensen,
Government of British
Columbia, Ministry of Social
Development & Social
Innovation, accepts her
door prize.
02 Beverley Dagg,
Kekinow Native Housing
Society, receives her door
prize of a hat donated by
the Prince George Métis
Housing Society.
03 Robyn Vermette,
Vancouver Native Health
Society, claims her door
prize of a travel coffee
mug featuring a local
Aboriginal artist’s design.
04 AHMA Board of Directors
President Chief Dale Harry
welcomes attendees into
Day 2 of the Gathering
with prayer, drumming,
and song.
EVENT ALBUM
06
07
05
06 Ellen Winofsky,
Dakelh & Quesnel Community
Housing Society, receives
her draw prize of one
of several workout bags
donated by M’akola Group
of Societies.
07 Cheryl Stewart,
Lu’ma Native Housing
Society, claims her draw
prize on Day 2 of the
Spring Gathering.
08 June Laitar,
Kekinow Native Housing
Society, happily receives
her door prize of a workout bag.
05 Susan Tatoosh,
Vancouver Aboriginal
Friendship Centre, draws
the name of the next draw
prize winner.
08
37
REMEMBERING RICHARD
In Celebration
of
Richard
Krentz
Nov 16, 1945 - Mar 6, 2014
“Richard Krentz, whose name is kwatam-us in the Coast
Salish language of the Sechelt nation, is a man of two
worlds: he is one of Canda’s most renowned Aboriginal
artists; he is also a natural entrepreneur who long ago met
the mainstream economy on its own terms — and
conquered.” — RichardKrentz.com
38
Richard Krentz was an innovator, an artist, and a friend.
He could make stunning jewelry, impressive bentwood
box creations, cook salmon on his own creative tools,
and make publication-worthy videos just by using his
phone. He worked with AHMA to create our new Gathering
artwork and to design window frosting in order to Indigenize our office for a more cohesive and meaningful
work environment. The work he provided for us helped
to concrete our beliefs and values, in addition to adding beauty to our everyday lives. And, he taught us the
difference between scared-looking trout and majesticlooking salmon – something that took us many hilarious
emails and phone calls to sort out.
Richard didn’t have an easy life — but he had an exciting one. He went from pennyless to millionaire and
back again — more than once. He worked in the forestry
industry and worked his way into owning his own company
and exporting exotic woods to foreign countries for
memorial artwork there. Richard was involved in many
big Aboriginal Canadian events, he helped to erect the
world’s largest totem pole in Victoria, helped design the
stage at the Stanley Park Vancouver Olympics celebrations, designed a very unique way to cook salmon using
instinctive design, and more.
He brought his community-first values into everything
he did. He supported Aboriginal youth, culture, and
community through his art, his businesses, and his many
devoted hours attending events across the province. We
are so thankful that we got to share in his vision for the
Aboriginal community during his time here in our lives.
We carry him on in our hearts.
In his own words, Richard describes his thought process
behind his bird nest design for the Gatherings:
“I was thinking about nature’s housing and how well it
works. When you talk about housing, it’s hard not to think
about families and how important a house is to a healthy
family. To build a good nest or a house, we have to bring
stuff to build it, we have to look after it, and most of all it
needs love to make it a home. At the Gathering, ask people
to bring their ideas that work for them to make their housing
projects successful and also take away ideas others have
proven to work.”
To sum this all up in less than five words... he will be
missed. n
BY THE NUMBERS
T
his year’s Spring Gathering
experienced a great turnout full of enthusiastic and
passionate members of the housing
industry in British Columbia. Let’s
take a look at a few of the statistics
from the event.
96
The number of attendees at
the 2014 Spring Gathering.
Included in that number is 14 AHMA
staff and 5 Board of Directors Members.
2014 Spring
Gathering
In Numbers
01
The number of laws to abide
by at the Modified Open Space
style discussions: The law of 2 feet (if
you find yourself in a situation where
you are not contributing or learning
from a conversation, you need to use
your two feet, or any other means, and
go elsewhere to contribute and learn).
06
The number of givens at the
event: 1. Have fun. 2. Be respectful. 3. Proceed in the order of our senses.
Listen first, observe next, speak last. 4. Focus on problems not people. 5. Embrace
new ideas. 6. Mute your cell phone.
19
The number of prizes handed
out at the event. Special thanks
go out to M’akola Group of Societies
and Prince George Métis Housing Society for donating extra prizes to hand
out at the Gathering.
240
The number of sandwiches consumed by attendees, served by Aboriginal caterer,
Catering 2U.
28
The number of discussions
held at the event spread out
over the two days. Of those discussions held, there were 13 different topics explored (two of which were suggested by attendees!).
45
The number of attendees who
filled out Spring Gathering
evaluation forms telling us what we
did right, what we could do better, and
what topics they’d like to cover at the
next Gathering. Check out the word
cloud above that represents the responses we received to the question “What
did we do right?”
06
The number of University of
British Columbia graduate students working at the event. The students are part of the SCARP planning
course that focussed on affordable
housing issues in B.C. Five students held
discussion topics and wrote articles, the
sixth student provided videography.
84
The number of bags of freshly
made popcorn consumed at
the event. n
14
The number of external organizations represented, including
government, private enterprise, and
CBO participation.
PHOTO BY CONNIE MAH
04
The number of principles for
the Modified Open Space style
discussions: 1. Whoever comes are the
right people. 2. Whatever happens is
the only thing that could have happened. 3. When it starts is the right
time. 4. When it’s over, it’s over.
39
40

Working Together for Aboriginal Housing Success

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