Urban, Rural and Northern Indigenous Housing Strategy
Supporting First Nations-led housing projects off-reserve
Applications Open!
Big News — the Urban, Rural & Northern (URN) Indigenous Housing Strategy funding applications are now open!
What is the Urban, Rural and Northern (URN) Indigenous Housing Program?
The URN Indigenous Housing Program provides capital funding to support First Nations governments and bands with off-reserve members create safe, culturally grounded, and affordable housing.
Funding is available for new builds, renovations, planning, land acquisition, and culturally significant spaces that help Indigenous communities secure stable housing for priority populations like Elders, youth, women, and families. Prioritizing support for those with the greatest needs can help reduce the housing disparity between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples, while also fostering stronger, more resilient communities.
Who Can Apply?
First Nations governments or bands with members living off-reserve.
Projects must directly benefit off-reserve Indigenous peoples.
How to Apply
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Gather basic project information, including your organization details, project description, location, budget, and supporting documents like approvals and plans.
If you have questions, please contact: urn@fnhic.ca
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You can apply online through our application portal, or by completing the fillable PDF application and submitting it with your supporting documents to:
When uploading your application, please ensure your PDF is created as a text-based PDF (not a scanned image). Text-based PDFs allow us to review your full answers, while scanned or “locked image” PDFs cut off paragraphs and cannot be read properly.
To create a text-based PDF:
Use the “Save as PDF” or “Export to PDF” function in your word processor (Word, Google Docs, etc.).
Avoid printing and scanning your document into a PDF.
If you’re unsure, try selecting text in your PDF. If you can highlight it, it’s text-based and good to go.
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Our Program Coordinators will review your submission for completeness and eligibility and contact you if anything is missing. We are here to help if needed!
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Once complete, your application will be scored and then reviewed by the Decision-Making Committee. You’ll be notified of funding decisions, which can always be reviewed if technical assistance is needed and provided to improve the score of the application.
Funding Streams
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Capital Project Funding
The purpose of this funding is for construction, acquisition, or planning for housing. Examples include: new single or multi-unit housing; mobile or group homes; land or building acquisition for housing.
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Programming & Education
The purpose of this funding is to support culturally safe housing-related services and education. Examples include: tenancy rights and financial literacy programs; homeownership education; capacity-building for housing organizations.
What We Fund
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Planning, design, construction and acquisition of new housing units. Housing units include single units, multi-units, mobile homes, as well as special needs housing such as homes for the elderly, group homes, and homes for people who require assisted living, but not medical care.
New Builds: All newly constructed housing funded through the program will be assigned a useful life of at least 25 years. Applicants must provide a basic maintenance and sustainability plan.
Existing Buildings (Acquisitions): When program funds are used to purchase an existing home or duplex, the applicant must provide:
An appraisal to confirm fair market value, and
A Building Condition Assessment (BCA) to determine the remaining useful life.
Minimum Standard: To qualify for funding, an existing property must demonstrate at least 15 years of useful life remaining. Properties with less than 15 years of remaining service life are not eligible.
Rule Of Thumb:Homes less than 10 years old → typically have 20–25 years of useful life remaining.
Homes 10–20 years old → usually have 15–20 years of useful life remaining, depending on maintenance and upgrades.
Homes 20–30 years old → may have 10–15 years left but must show strong condition and recent upgrades to meet the 15-year minimum.
Homes older than 30 years → only eligible if a Building Condition Assessment (BCA) confirms at least 15 years of remaining useful life; these cases require additional scrutiny”
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Repairs of existing housing units. The types of housing units covered are described under the Housing, new construction.
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Renovations of existing housing units. The types of housing units covered are described under the Housing, new construction.
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Program development, capacity development, service delivery, education, training, research, housing financial literacy, home buying guidance, and tenancy rights.
URN: Supporting affordable housing for members living off-reserve.
Example 1: If a member needed housing upgrades but they rent, the landlord would need to provide approval for the renovations and commit to maintaining the unit as affordable housing for off-reserve members. Everything has to be tied to supporting affordable housing.
Example 2: A Nation or Indigenous organization could purchase land off-reserve to build a small apartment complex, but it must be dedicated to affordable housing for their members.
What We Do Not Fund
Land de-contamination
Household appliances
Cosmetic repairs /aesthetic renovations
Renovations incurred mainly to increase or maintain the value of the dwelling
Repayment of personal or community debts
For profit investments
Financing expenses (for example term loans and real estate mortgages)
Cost overruns are the responsibility of the recipient and/or funders
Projects located on-reserve
Funding for wraparound services such as childcare, mental health and addictions programs or health services.
Funding Details
Funding up to $1,000,000 per project
Priority is given to projects that are community-led, culturally safe, and focused on those most in need
Need Help?
If you have questions or need assistance with your application, please contact us:
Email:
urn@fnhic.ca – for general inquiries
urn.applications@fnhic.ca – for application submissions
FAQs
Application Process
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Once an application is submitted, the Program Coordinator reviews and scores it based on established criteria. The FNHIC team then validates the scoring, and feedback may be gathered from Regional Service Delivery Coordinators (RSDCs) for further context. Leadership reviews the application to ensure completeness before it is presented to the Decision-Making Committee of five board members. If approved, a contract is created with the community, including a funding schedule. If not approved, feedback is provided with an invitation to revise and resubmit.
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Yes. For example, a community may apply for a feasibility study now and later apply for capital funding if the study supports the project.
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Either or! You are welcome to apply for funding for a feasiblility study first, and then apply for the project funding. The total amount of funding remains the same, regardless of how many projects a nation does.
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We are doing our best to mitigate risk, so it is ideal that it comes from the governing.
Combining URN and Reaching Home
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Yes—URN can fund the major capital work, and Reaching Home can potentially fund complementary activities. However, it is essential to note that any Reaching Home funding must be clearly tied to preventing or reducing homelessness.
This means Reaching Home dollars can only be used for:
Creating or renovating units specifically for people who are homeless or at imminent risk of homelessness (e.g., youth aging out of care, Elders experiencing homelessness, 2SLGBTQQIA+ at risk of homelessness)
Minor capital improvements to make units suitable as transitional or supportive housing.
Operating costs and wraparound services that help individuals remain housed (e.g., housing support workers, case management).
You must demonstrate in your application how each funding stream supports its unique purpose and ensures there is no duplication of funding for the same expenses.
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Yes, for example: Could use URN to buy a off reserve 5 unit housing, and then use RH for creating transitional housing in one unit or create programing.
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You are allowed to partner with developers or other investors. URN does not require the project to be 100% Band-owned and operated, provided that:
The lead applicant is an eligible Indigenous government or organization.
The project serves off-reserve Indigenous populations.
The ownership and partnership structure ensures that the housing remains affordable and under Indigenous governance or oversight over time.
Examples could include joint ventures, limited partnerships, or construction partnerships where the Indigenous organization retains long-term operational responsibility and decision-making authority.
Cultural Safety
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Absolutely, some examples and strategies you can incorporate:
Building and Site Design:
Use traditional materials, colors, and motifs that reflect your community’s culture.
Create communal gathering spaces for ceremonies, intergenerational activities, and meals.
Incorporate language signage in local Indigenous languages.
Provide outdoor spaces for gardening, land-based learning, and cultural practices.
Trauma-Informed and Wellness Features:
Designate cultural rooms for smudging, ceremony, or cultural programming.
Governance and Community Engagement:
Involve Elders, Knowledge Keepers, and community members from the concept stage onward.
Use participatory design workshops to gather input and integrate cultural priorities.
Document your engagement process and how it influenced the design.
Funding
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No. Property taxes are not eligible because they are a cost of ownership, not directly tied to project delivery. Most government programs exclude them to keep funding rules consistent.
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To receive funding for URN, we use readiness and capacity as a criteria for scoring the applications. Anything to help support that the project is well-thought out and supported through things like BCR will increase the chance of being funded.
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This is something we are currently working on, with the possibility to provide a conditional approval based on a projected funding amount to help proceed with confidence towards a sale.
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For each project, the maximum funding available is $1,000,000.
If multiple communities are interested in collaborating, they can apply together under a single project; however, only one community must be identified as the lead applicant. Alternatively, a Tribal Council can apply on behalf of member Bands and manage the project.
Please note that you cannot combine or “stack” multiple $1,000,000 applications into a single project. Each distinct project is eligible for funding up to the $1,000,000 cap, but there cannot be multiple applications submitted by different communities to fund the same initiative.
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On a case by case basis, can be spread out over several years, can do multiple as long as under the million limit.
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Once project is approved, the amount allocated is fixed and within fiscal year unless a multi-year agreement.
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URN can be used for on-site mental health worker, cultural or land based wellness for tenants, transitional housing. Not for stand-alone detox programs.
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Yes, unused funds roll over into the next year. Budgets may be adjusted based on previous usage and feedback.
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No set number. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis until funds run out. Decisions are made by a review committee based on need, fairness, and eligibility.
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Yes, operating & maintenance costs can be funded.
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Include this in the budget for cost of project! This is a great way to continue the community service.
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There is not a set timeline yet, as long as it stays in transitional/supportive housing to meet the useful life of the asset.
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It can be used over multiyear but we are also able to consider conditional approval, etc.
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Yes, if there is a system/budget in place.
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The URN project aims to co-develop a comprehensive housing strategy with Indigenous partners that addresses housing needs in urban, rural, and northern communities. We want to ensure that the strategy reflects Indigenous perspectives, improves housing quality, increases supply, and enhances affordability while advancing self-determination and reconciliation.
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The project is designed to explore a range of solutions that address the specific needs of your community, from improving housing quality to increasing supply and making housing more affordable. We are particularly focused on developing culturally relevant solutions, which means we’ll work with you to ensure that the housing options we consider are appropriate for your lifestyle, culture, and environment.
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The URN project places a strong emphasis on self-determination by ensuring that Indigenous communities play a leading role in shaping the housing strategy. This means that you will have a direct say in the governance structures, funding priorities, and the types of housing that are developed. Our goal is to support your community in taking control of housing decisions, so that they reflect your values and goals.
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Federal and provincial partners, like Indigenous Services Canada and Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, will provide support in strategic planning and funding governance. Their role will be to ensure that the initiatives align with broader policy frameworks and that funding is allocated effectively. However, the primary decision-making and direction will be led by the Indigenous communities involved.
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Throughout the engagement process, we will work with community leaders, elders, and community members to ensure that all housing solutions are culturally appropriate and respect traditional knowledge and ways of life. The development of the housing strategy will include an in-depth consultation process to ensure that the final plan aligns with cultural values and practices.
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The project includes a transparent process for funding allocation, with regular updates and checkpoints. We’ll involve community members and leaders in the decision making process to ensure that the allocation of funds aligns with your specific needs and priorities. Additionally, the final report will include clear recommendations on funding and governance structures.
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FNHIC will be researching all aspects associated with community needs and working with Sister Societies to create strategies to fill in the gaps between our housing needs and issues.
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FNHIC will certainly be willing to research these needs in your community and work with associated service providers to access funding and support.
Inclusions/Exclusions
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Yes, operation and maintenance costs (e.g., property taxes) can be included in the project budget. If not included, bands must cover them later from other sources.
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Yes. Particularly under URN, you can request funding for:
Accessibility (e.g., ramps, grab bars)
Energy efficiency upgrades
HVAC systems (e.g., A/C for heat waves)
Renovations for off-reserve elders
Note: You must first exhaust other funding sources and explain that in your application.
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House would need to be owned and managed by the band, funding is more focused on renovation and acquisition of land/new builds for the community.
Leasing Land
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You can lease land rather than purchase it. URN does not require that the land be owned outright, but:
The lease must be long-term (generally 20+ years or sufficient to protect the public investment).
You’ll need to provide a copy of the lease or a letter of intent showing site control as part of your application.
The lease terms must allow the housing to be operated as affordable housing serving Indigenous people over the lifespan of the project.
If the lease is short-term or does not clearly secure the site for this purpose, it may be considered higher risk and may not be funded.
Timeline
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7 years, afterward, there's no guarantee of renewal, but the hope is to demonstrate success and push for extended funding.
Treaty Settlement Lands
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Even though TSL are not considered “reserve lands” under the Indian Act, they are generally treated as lands set aside for the First Nation as part of a modern treaty. For funding purposes, these lands are viewed as equivalent to reserve or Nation-governed lands. Because of this, capital projects located on Treaty Settlement Lands are not eligible for URN funding.
The main reason is that the program is designed to expand housing options in municipalities, rural towns, and other off-reserve areas where many Indigenous individuals and families currently live. While building on TSL can certainly help bring members back to community, these projects fall outside the scope of URN and may be a better fit for other housing funding streams such as ISC or CMHC On-Reserve programs.
Construction
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Off reserve, you need to be done up to code ($100 for inspection). Must be accessibility based not cosmetic.
Urban, Rural and Northern Indigenous Housing Strategy Engagement
The 2022 Budget allocated $300 million to co-develop and launch an Indigenous Housing Strategy for urban, rural, and northern communities, in partnership with Indigenous leaders, to address the housing needs of Indigenous Peoples in these areas.
FNHIC hosted engagement sessions with First Nations in BC to determine the best way to distribute these funds, and developed an engagement report based on those engagements. The engagement report is available below.
Decision Making Committee
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Janice Abbott
Decision Making Committee Member
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Maura Gowans
Decision Making Committee Member
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Kent Patenaude
Decision Making Committee Member
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John Leidl
Decision Making Committee Member
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Kevin Eaton
Decision Making Committee Member
We’d love to hear from you!
Do you have questions about Urban, Rural and Northern funding? Please get in touch and we’ll be happy to help!