Nikihk Housing First
The Nikîhk Housing First Program is designed to support the housing needs of Urban Indigenous Peoples who are homeless and reside in Edmonton.
Nikîhk – pronounced Nee-kih is a Cree word that translates to “my home”. We chose that name because our program isn’t about having a place to live but rather it’s about supporting Indigenous Peoples who are struggling with homelessness, in building a home for themselves and their family.
The goal of the Housing First initiative is to assist individuals & families in securing safe, affordable, appropriate, permanent housing and to assist and support in maintaining their home while they continue on their journey. Our staff take a harm reduction approach to providing supports and services to our program participants and is client driven in terms of the participants identifying their own goals and determining how to get there.
Program Expectations
The program expectations are designed to provide supports and services that will foster stability and enable participants to maintain their home. Our expectations for participants in our program are as follows:
- Attend scheduled visits
- Provide all required information
- Work with staff in building a support plan, harm reduction plan, and home maintenance plan.
Supports
- Assistance with securing financial resources. Ex. Alberta Works, AISH, EI, student funding
- Assistance in locating rental properties
- Advocacy
- Home furnishing through FIND – Used furniture bank
- Goal setting
- Financial literacy
- Trauma Support
- Cultural Connection/Connection to Elders
- Connection to resources
- and more
- Phone780-481-3451
In Partnership with:
