Page 46 - Walking_The_Red_Road

Our Community Members Want to Find Home in North Bay
I’d really like to make North Bay my home, but North Bay is making it a challenge for me to live in North Bay.
Aboriginal community members want and need to “find home” in North Bay as easily and safely as non-Aboriginal community members. Our research, conducted through the North Bay Housing and Homelessness Partnership, shows that reaching this goal requires additional investments in affordable housing for fixed-income people and changes to how we go about developing housing solutions. Respectful partnerships that promote cultural awareness among all stakeholders, including service providers and landlords, will enable the development of culturally safe and appropriate housing, services, expectations and understandings.
The opportunity
I’ve noticed even in the past few years...how much the rents in the community had increased. And the lack of availability for nice...or adequate living arrangements. So when I saw the study thing, um, I thought, “Ooh, I’d like to put a voice to that.”
In February 2013, Dr. Katrina Srigley of the History Department at Nipissing University presented to the board at the Friendship Centre, seeking approval to partner with us to explore stories and experiences of homelessness and migration. With the board’s approval, Srigley began working with U-ACT staff and acknowledging the traditional territory of the Nbisiing Anishinabek, we sent a letter to Chief Marianna Couchie to tell her of our work and request permission to work with the citizens of her nation. With her permission, we then took our ideas to the Youth Action Circle and to community Elders for feedback on our approach and proposed questions.
From June to September 2013, we met and spoke with 28 people, ranging in age from 17 to 59,
through 16 individual interviews and two focus groups. All of the participants had experienced or were experiencing homelessness. The majority described themselves as “couch surfers,” staying with others until they found a place. 61% said they were homeless at the time of the study. While one participant had lived in North Bay for twenty years, none of the participants were originally from North Bay. The majority were from the James Bay coastal communities, with 68% speaking Cree as their first or second language.
Walking the Red Road | REPORT OF THE URBAN ABORIGINAL COMMUNITIES THRIVE PROJECT | 46
,, ,,