History was made this past week at the Elizabeth Métis Settlement just outside of Cold Lake. Enbridge Inc., a large energy transport company, presented a $100,000 cheque to Habitat for Humanity to sponsor the first ever Habitat for Humanity's home ownership project on aboriginal soil in Canada.
“You need to make a snowball before you can roll a snowman,” explained Alfred Nikolai, President and CEO of Habitat for Humanity Edmonton when asked on July 12 about Enbridge's contribution to the project. “We can make the snowman but we can't make the snowball and Enbridge in this case, made the snowball, because without Enbridge, this all wouldn't have been able to happen.”
Habitat for Humanity is a non-profit organization that seeks to provide affordable housing to those in need. They have projects in much of North America and around the globe but the Elizabeth Métis Settlement project is the first time the organization has contributed to an aboriginal community in Canada. Normally, residents living on Métis settlements lease their homes.
“This is a historic build for us and I think…it's the first in Canada…where Habitat for Humanity is building on either reserve or settlement,” clarified Nikolai. “We believe the habitat model works all over the world, why wouldn't it work right in our own back yard?”
Nikolai explained that the habitat model, which allows lower income families to purchase homes at zero per cent mortgage rates, will help benefit the entire Métis community at Elizabeth Settlement and not just the eight families who will occupy the new homes.
“Owning your own home builds a huge amount of self-esteem and dignity, and to me that's probably a bigger benefit than anything else,” said Nikolai. “When you have dignity in yourself you'll have dignity in your school and dignity in your community. That's why we're building these eight homes here. We're helping more than eight families out because those children that grow up there they'll have that dignity, and it'll be shared within their community, and so it builds homes for families, but it also builds homes for communities.”
Christopher Desjarlais, vice chairman of the Elizabeth Métis Council, says he is grateful for the support they have received from Enbridge and Habitat for Humanity in taking a step towards a solution to what he feels is a problem in aboriginal communities.
According to Desjarlais, the housing programs currently established within aboriginal communities are flawed. Members become dependent and lack entitlement to their homes because the homes are basically given to them.
They have no responsibility for their homes and have no chance to gain equity in order to become relevant in today's housing market.
“I'm a believer that the housing programs are basically not going the right way,” said Desjarlais. “I don't believe that houses should be given without any responsibility towards the house for the upkeep and for that matter for the payment of the house…with this program, you're giving our people home ownership and an equity gain which then levels that playing field a little bit more and that's empowerment.”
Desjarlais understands that the solution to that problem is only in its very early stages but that his community is prepared to take on the challenge and move toward a better future.
“I think this is a major part of a solution to a major issue,” explained Desjarlais. “It's not a handout, it's a hand up…We're thankful to Enbridge, we're thankful for all the support and volunteers that have come out and we're thankful to Habitat for Humanity. We know we have a lot of hard work to do and we're prepared to do it, to meet it and succeed.”
