A new approach to support services in housing

To counter homelessness and the housing shortage in Flin Flon, Manitoba, the Flin Flon Housing Initiative has chosen a new approach. Thanks to a $38,000 grant from the Sector Transformation Fund, the Flin Flon Aboriginal Friendship Centre aims to create supportive housing and address the shortage of affordable housing.

This initiative, which mobilizes many community players including the city of Flin Flon, was motivated by the findings of a study published in 2014 by the University of Winnipeg. The study highlighted the severity of homelessness-related problems coupled with a lack of adequate housing in the region. The situation has persisted since then and is likely to worsen, due to plant closures and a shortage of jobs in the region.

The Flin Flon Aboriginal Friendship Centre has received support from the Community Housing Transformation Centre to create a business strategy in collaboration with a consultant and the Everyone Deserves a Home Community Committee working group. The objective is to create more affordable housing, incorporating a range of support services.

This fast-growing organization takes a community-based approach, working with local stakeholders to develop solutions that meet real community needs. It is developing its services for the Indigenous communities of Flin Flon and, for the first time, integrating environmental considerations into housing construction.