The Faces of indigenous homelessness: the perpetual Inuit housing struggle

With the evident rise of homelessness among the general population in Canada, studies have shown that the Indigenous communities are highly over represented among the homeless population; with the Indigenous population comprising 4.3% of the total population in Canada, they represent 10% of the homeless population. This trend worsened over time, compelling key actors on all levels to recognize the need for an Indigenous-specific homelessness and housing crisis policy. This study is centered in the urban context of Montreal, Quebec, where the Indigenous population rapidly urbanize and migrate into major city centres, and the intention is to generate a better understanding of the general urban Indigenous experiences, further identifying a subset of the Indigenous community, the Inuit, who are further disadvantaged in Montreal. This is done through a comprehensive examination of their history in the region, the policies that address the issues, the push and pull factors that influence their migration into city centres, as well as a rundown of organizations that address specific needs of members of the community. Amidst the plethora of housing challenges that Indigenous people face between rural and urban settings, it became evident that their urban experience also consists of an experiential type of homelessness, further explored in this paper. As the Indigenous population are continuously marginalized in urban centres, a critical presence of Indigenous-specific organizations such as shelters, day centres and transitional housing provides a space for the members of the community, assisting them with varying levels of aid, from education, training, and housing, further enabling them to slowly reintegrate into this new society. However, organizational outreach remains limited due to a lack of dialogue by major drivers of change, hindering their potential of assisting one of the most vulnerable communities in Montreal. With the continuous migration happening within these communities due to several factors, it is essential to recognize this phenomenon to further mitigate the consequences they face as they arrive in urban centres. This paper asserts that the specific experience of homelessness by Indigenous populations in urban centres need to be addressed through proactive policies, as it exacerbates the lack of consensus and understanding of the main core of the issue, how it is being generated and what can be done to alleviate it. As Indigenous-specific organizations continue to exist in major city centres such as Montreal, it is highlighted that due to their nature of comprehending the unique experiences they face, their presence in the urban systems can aid Indigenous people in their transition into urban centres, reducing the risk of falling into the endless cycle of homelessness.

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