SUMMARY OF RESEARCH
This fact sheet provides a review of the living and housing conditions of Indigenous households in Canada. The fact sheet begins by presenting demographic data, housing statistics and the rates of homelessness, followed by samples of innovative community-based housing initiatives, developments and options that are underway in Canada to improve the living conditions of Indigenous peoples. It concludes with the acknowledgement that investments in sustainable housing and related infrastructure are essential to addressing housing issues and ultimately reducing Indigenous health disparities.
A house encompasses not just a physical structure, but the social and natural environment in which it is situated.
National Collaborating Centre for Aboriginal Health
Housing quality, affordability, location, appropriateness, and accessibility are important determinants of health (Reading & Halseth, 2013; Patrick, 2014).
National Collaborating Centre for Aboriginal Health
"The physical condition and quality of a home includes its state of repair, .... flooring, furnishings..." (Kolahdooz, Nader, Yi, & Sharma, 2015; Krieger & Higgins, 2002; Standing Senate Committee on Aboriginal Peoples [SSCAP],
National Collaborating Centre for Aboriginal Health