From Rootlessness to Rootedness: The Role of Indigenous Housing and Community Well-Being

Canada faces a deepening homelessness crisis in which Indigenous Peoples are disproportionately impacted by historic and ongoing colonial harms. As such, Indigenous-led responses are required. This community-driven research was initiated, guided, and co-analyzed with Brantford Native Housing (BNH) to address BNH’s priorities and generate findings that can be applied in practice and advocacy. This study uses a postcolonial framework to ask how Indigenous-led approaches are (or are not) embedded in municipal housing strategies and how Indigenous clients describe what an Indigenous-led housing model should provide in Brantford. This research employs two interconnected phases. Phase one analyzes 46 housing strategies from 44 communities to identify where Indigenous ways of knowing and doing are meaningfully included and where they are absent. Findings emphasize the need to move beyond tokenistic language toward concrete action. Phase two is a predominantly qualitative survey, developed and administered with BNH, to capture Indigenous clients’ experiences and needs across outreach, transitional, and rent- geared-to-income housing, and cultural programming. Clients’ perspectives illustrate how housing, cultural connection, and relational care intersect and underscore a strong preference for Indigenous-led, culturally grounded supports. Together, the systems-level scan and community-level survey offer a comprehensive view of Indigenous-led housing as both policy and practice response. This thesis contributes to scholarship by clarifying the importance of embedding Indigenous leadership in housing systems and practices, while calling for policies and practices that align with Indigenous governance and the timelines required for real change.