After a period of demonstrated success in nurturing grassroots housing solutions, the Nunalingni Piruqpaalirut Fund—meaning “Growth in our land”—has been renewed for one year with a $750,000 commitment. The program, a partnership between the Centre and the Nunavut Housing Corporation (NHC), will see its funding renewed in August 2026, continuing its mission to broaden and strengthen Nunavut’s community housing sector.
Eligible community housing organizations include registered Canadian non-profit housing organizations, non-profit housing cooperatives, non-profit organizations, community or regional groups and coalitions, and municipalities whose activities take place in Nunavut.
The fund emerged from the broader Nunavut 3000 strategy, a territorial initiative calling for collaborative action to add 3,000 new housing units by 2030. The partnership between the NHC and the Centre was formalized in 2023 to build the capacity of non-profit organizations, a crucial step given the limited number of entities currently operating in Nunavut’s housing sector. While local housing organizations manage public housing units in every community, they have historically focused on management rather than development. The Nunalingni Piruqpaalirut Fund is designed to fill this gap, providing early-stage support to organizations and opening pathways for new non-profits to enter the sector or for existing ones to scale their initiatives.
“Our belief is that lasting change will come from community-driven projects, through increased collaboration, innovation, and knowledge-sharing,” says Alison Lair, Director of Programs at the Centre. “The fund is structured to adapt to a range of organizational needs through three distinct streams: Capacity building, planning and pre-development, and research and innovation. “
The capacity building stream focuses on strengthening the internal structures of organizations, ensuring they have the skills and foundations to manage and deliver more housing effectively.
The planning and pre-development stream covers crucial early-stage activities—such as feasibility studies, architectural designs, and due diligence—that help advance housing projects to the construction stage and overcome barriers to securing capital funding.
The research and innovation stream supports explorations into innovative operating models and construction methods, though it has not yet attracted the same level of interest as the other streams.
Fueling transformative projects across Nunavut
The impact of the fund is evident in the diverse projects it has supported across the territory. These initiatives not only illustrate the fund’s reach but also its core philosophy: that housing transformation is about people, knowledge, and community leadership.
In Arviat, the Aqqiumavvik Society is receiving support to develop new shelter and transitional housing units. The fund is assisting them with pre-development work while also helping restructure their operating model through capacity building. This dual approach exemplifies how the Centre can serve as an ally for organizations transitioning from community programming to housing delivery. Notably, Aqqiumavvik has committed to integrating direct community feedback into its architectural designs, ensuring the project is shaped by the voices of those it will serve.
In Iqaluit, the Uquutaq Society, a long-serving organization supporting individuals experiencing homelessness, is benefiting from pre-development funding for an ambitious 48-unit affordable housing development in the downtown core. Given the costly nature of this initiative, Uquutaq requires significant support from territorial programs and organizations like the Centre to maintain affordability. The Centre has already assisted the society in acquiring the site and hopes to continue supporting its planning and pre-development work, which will significantly expand Uquutaq’s ability to offer stable, community-centered housing.
Perhaps one of the most innovative projects funded is the initiative led by the Amautiit Inuit Women’s Association. This capacity building project will deliver a culturally-grounded home inspector training program to three Inuit women in remote communities. The pilot uses a blended learning model, integrating two weeks of in-person instruction with community-based inspections and 32 weeks of ongoing mentorship to support full certification and future employment.
This initiative addresses a critical need identified in a recent NHC audit: the lack of local inspectors. By building local expertise, the program supports increased building condition assessments and improved asset management practices. It also creates flexible, meaningful employment for Inuit women, reducing reliance on costly Southern contractors and ensuring that dollars are kept within the community to fuel further economic development. If successful, Amautiit envisions expanding the program to eventually have a home inspector in every community.
Renewed commitment and the path forward
“Given that Nunavut is such a young territory, I think it finds itself at a crossroads,” Lair said. “I hope that the Centre can be an important partner in building capacity for its community housing sector.”
The renewal of the Nunalingni Piruqpaalirut Fund represents a significant step in that partnership, ensuring that resources continue to flow to the organizations and individuals working on the ground to build a more sustainable, community-led housing future for Nunavut.
