Federal inmates constructing homes for First Nation communities

For decades, housing problems have plagued First Nation communities across the country. In 2001, the Auditor General of Canada reported a shortage of 8,500 units on First Nation communities with about 44 per cent of existing units in need of repairs.

Since then, the Indigenous population has ballooned to 1.4 million, up 20 per cent since 2006, according to the 2011 National Household Survey.

But a unique partnership between Correctional Service Canada (CSC) and First Nation communities is helping to alleviate some of these housing shortages.

The community is getting prison inmates, many of them First Nation people, to construct badly needed houses.

Muskeg Lake Cree Nation, located 130 kilometres northeast of Saskatoon, is one First Nation community benefiting from this house building partnership.

And it couldn’t come at a better time.

“A lot of people want to move back home, but we’re short on housing,” said Chief Clifford Tawpisin Jr.

Muskeg Lake Cree Nation has 2,000 members, but only 130 homes on-reserve.

“It [also] made it a good opportunity to provide low, affordable housing for low income.” All community members pay rent on-reserve.

The construction is part of Corcan, a rehabilitation program of the CSC. Corcan provides offenders with the employment skills to reintegrate into the labour market.

Offenders can benefit from manufacturing, construction, textiles, and services through on-the-job training and third-party certification.

Operating within 39 federal penitentiaries and community-based operations across the country, Corcan employs more than 2,000 offenders every day.

The first house building partnership between Corcan and First Nations was in 2010.  Iinmates at Riverbend Institution built a two-storey house for La Ronge Indian Band in Saskatchewan.
Learning from La Ronge Indian Band, Muskeg Lake took it upon themselves to become part of this unique partnership.

This is the first time for Muskeg Lake Cree Nation to work with Correctional Service Canada, a ‘win-win’ for everyone, said Chief Tawpisin.

“These inmates are about to be released so picking up a training program so that they have opportunities when they’re released, it’s that much more successful, ” Tawpisin said.

[And] the quality of the housing is fantastic.”

To date, Corcan has built a total of four houses for First Nation communities: one for La Ronge Indian Band Reserve, two for Muskeg Lake Reserve, and one for the Mohawk Bay of Quinte (Tyendinaga) community.

In addition, two houses are in the process of being built inside Saskatchewan Penitentiary for Muskeg Lake Reserve.

Corcan is also building a two-storey duplex at Frontenac Institution and a bungalow at Beaver Creek Institution for the Ojibwas of Whitefish River First Nation, Ontario.

Both units are scheduled to be shipped to the Ojibwas of Whitefish River First Nation this fiscal year.

CSC said other partnerships are currently being explored.

Photo caption: A unique partnership trains inmate for re-entry into the labour force, and provides much needed housing on reserve.