Crystal Sedore, Housing Manager Our Journey towards Sustainable Housing Crystal Sedore, Housing Manager

In the beginning….2014 Singles/couples living in 4 bdrm homes as kids move out. Spare rooms/basements used for storage Spare rooms closed off to reduce heating costs Aging homes falling into disrepair Woodstove for heat, inconsistent heat, cold spots Sky high heating bills-tenants on fixed income Non payment of rents No small homes for singles/couples/elders No policies, no consequences, no accountability, no control

Costs of Operating a “BC Box” Maintenance and repairs—2015/16------------------------- 35,000 Renovation 2015 (INAC Mould)–------------------------------- 23,700 Emergency repairs plumbing and chimney(2016)------------ 9000 Pest extermination (carpenter ants, rats)-------------------- 1000 $68,700 (15/16) Rental Revenue- $6960/yr -$61740 YFN had 13 of these houses

Sustainable On-reserve Housing must: Be Affordable for the band AND the tenant Be low maintenance Encourage our tenants to be “house proud” Be Appropriate for the climate Be mould resistant, Be an appropriate size Be healthy, safe, & comfortable Involve a Long term relationship with the builder-ex. warranties

New Housing on Yale Reserve Quality- Constructed indoors where it’s dry Fast- A 12 month project was reduced to 5 months Easy- No need for a project manager Highest building standards in the industry Reduced maintenance costs Proven in Europe Innovative Energy efficient Drastically reduces our carbon footprint Why Modular? Why modular? Why Passive? Currently the most energy efficient standards in the industry

Choosing the right builder Respect for Aboriginal values Flexibility to meet our needs & budget Consistent message from all team members Honest communication, no surprises at the end Dedicated team Committed to making it work Convenience, close by

Ruby Creek Reserve BEFORE

AFTER

Built in factory over 3 months and placed on site on 2 days.

April 1,2017, Move in day

Brand new Passive 4-plex at Dogwood . Move-in date was October 1st.

Thank you! Crystal Sedore, Housing Manager, Yale First Nation 604-869-0013 housing@yalefirstnation.ca

Funding provide by INAC’s Budget 2016, Innovation-Mentoring www.BCFNHousingMentorship.ca Funding provide by INAC’s Budget 2016, Innovation-Mentoring

Recurring themes in band housing How do we get the tenants to pay rent? Chief and Council won’t evict or don’t support housing decisions. There’s no money for wages for housing staff. We don’t have any policies, or can’t enforce the policies we have. Our housing portfolio is chaos, how can we make it make sense? Our housing information is all filed under “H”, I cant find anything! www.BCFNHousingMentorship.ca

Since the program was launched on May 30th, 2017 Assisted over 3 dozen housing organizations with applications for funding, Provided 21 bands, with tools, templates, advice, guidance Facilitated 3 workshops and 5 webinars. Provided telephone and e-mail assistance over 100 times to band housing, band leadership and administrators and others who work for cities and municipalities between January and April, we were consulted by more than 40 bands and organizations looking for mentorship and support.

3 ways to access mentorship One-on-one support - Connecting bands with mentors in their area for on-site visits Telephone and e-mail support Ask a question Share templates, tools and resources Get referrals Online support Downloadable resources and templates, planning tools, reporting forms, applications. Case Studies, learn from experts, contractors and other housing departments Participate in live facilitated discussions and webinars Timely articles and featured submissions from the network

Housing@yalefirstnation.ca Thank you! www.BCFNHousingMentorship.ca What did you have to learn the hard way? Send your answers to: Housing@yalefirstnation.ca Thank you!