Assembly of First Nations must be at the table for the development of National Encampments Response Plan

Leaders from the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) and the Federal Housing Advocate met with federal representatives to discuss the disproportionate impact of homelessness and encampments on First Nations individuals and families.

They are urging the federal government to ensure First Nations are at the table during the development of the National Encampments Response Plan, recommended by the Advocate in her report on homeless encampments in Canada released last month.

The Advocate’s report affirms that First Nations people are disproportionately overrepresented among those who experience homelessness and are living in encampments. The report calls for immediate solutions to support encampment residents, and for governments at all levels to respect Indigenous rights as affirmed by the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).

Following the release of the report on February 13, 2024, Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities, Sean Fraser, indicated the government was working on a plan to address homelessness and encampments.

Recognizing the need for urgent action, the AFN made a direct call to the federal government at the meeting to be directly and meaningfully involved early in designing the encampments plan, which the Advocate recommended be developed by August 31, 2024.

In order to fully address the homelessness and encampments crisis, the government’s plan must be consistent with the AFN’s National Homelessness Action Plan, and include new funding that acknowledges the historical marginalization and underinvestment in First Nations housing. The underinvestment in First Nations housing is well documented, including in the recent report by the Auditor General, and has resulted in the displacement of First Nations people to cities and towns across Canada. The underinvestment in First Nations infrastructure, including housing, is detailed in a report that is to be issued by the AFN on April 9, 2024, entitled: Closing the Infrastructure Gap by 2030.

The meeting with Parliamentary Secretary Peter Fragiskatos (Housing, Infrastructure and Communities), and representatives from Indigenous Services and Crown-Indigenous Relations was a first conversation. Engagement needs to continue to ensure a commitment to direct involvement of the AFN and First Nations rights holders in a national response to encampments. Given the urgency of this issue, the AFN and the Federal Housing Advocate would like to see discussions continue quickly and with the involvement of Ministers from all departments that intersect with housing and homelessness issues.

All governments must take action to address the national encampments crisis and uphold the human right to adequate housing, including the First Nations right to housing.

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Quotes

“Across the country, we know that First Nations people are disproportionately represented amongst people experiencing homelessness. When I visited Prince George, I heard that 82% of the population experiencing homelessness is Indigenous. To truly end homelessness and encampments, the people who are affected most need to be front and centre while developing solutions. That means involving First Nations as well as people with lived experience of homelessness in these plans.”

“It is critical that we come together to ensure First Nations have the resources and jurisdiction to care for our citizens experiencing homelessness. Our unhoused relatives deserve to be supported by their own nations and communities, which requires long-term housing solutions supported by significant, dedicated investments. No family member, no guest, no visitor should go without a home. With the AFN National First Nations Homelessness Action Plan in place, we look forward to working collaboratively with the federal government to develop the National Encampments Response Plan.”

“The government's response to the homelessness crisis has fallen short of the urgency facing our communities and our youth, and First Nations have been left out of these discussions. We must see government's commitment to ongoing collaboration on an Encampments Response Plan, and to co-developing long term solutions to address homelessness that disproportionately impacts First Nations. This needs to happen to bring action on reconciliation.”

“Forcibly displacing First Nations citizens is unacceptable, and yet another instance of colonialism and systemic racism impacting our people. I have previously called on all levels of government to engage unhoused people when making decisions that impact them, and to also engage directly with First Nations on these matters. This message is echoed in the Advocate's report, and it must be an essential component of the government's Encampments Response Plan.”

Associated links

• News release: Federal Housing Advocate’s final report calls for national response to the crisis of encampments
• Full report: Upholding dignity and human rights: the Federal Housing Advocate’s review on homeless encampments
• Executive Summary

Media contacts

Office of the Federal Housing Advocate
Media Relations
613-943-9118
communications@chrc-ccdp.gc.ca

Jennifer Stern
Communications Officer
Assembly of First Nations
(343) 576-8956 (mobile)
jstern@afn.ca