Immediate Housing and Infrastructure Needs
Project Overview
Immediate Housing and Infrastructure needs project was developed to identify a base estimate for NAN housing and infrastructure need.
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The project uses available data from government sources and NAN reports to highlight immediate need until more accurate data exists.
The project illustrates, using government’s data, just how large the housing and infrastructure gap across NAN territory.
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A variety of data sources were used including census 2016 and ISC data. Both sources have different housing and population counts and so we carried out the same calculations for each source. Both sources provide a significant range of housing needs which demonstrates the need for more accurate, reliable and regular data sources.
The estimates show that there are significant housing and infrastructure gaps.
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There are three takeaways from the report:
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First, when looking at the range of total new housing construction needed, NAN needs approximately 7,588 new units. However, this estimate does not include future growth or the number of community members wanting to return to their communities.
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The second is the replacement rate based on housing age, 33% of current housing stock will need to be replaced due to age and conditions. If we continue to use a 30 year housing lifespans that will mean that by 2030 an additional 24% of the current housing stock will also need to be replaced or that 1 in 2 houses will need to be replaced. Quality of construction and materials is needed to increase housing lifespans beyond 30 years
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Third, taking all this into account, current federal funding commitments are not enough. A significant increase is needed for both housing and infrastructure. Many communities are planning to build on their last serviced lots if they haven’t already. Housing funding without appropriate infrastructure funding will stall construction and further add to waitlists. Without adequate infrastructure funding, community members will continue to be displaced.