“I’m so used to Moving all my Life”: Urban First

Nations/Aboriginal Peoples’ Experiences of Mobility,

Health, and Housing

National Conference on Ending Homelessness, October 2013

Marcie Snyder, PhD Jason Whitford, Program Manager

Centre for Research on Inner City Health Eagle Urban Transition Centre

St. Michael’s Hospital Patient Advocate Unit

snyderm@smh.ca jwhitford@manitobachiefs.com

This research was supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) & the Network Environments for Aboriginal Health Research (MB-NEAHR)

Setting the Context

o Indigenous populations increasingly urbanized

o Unprecedented growth in urban Aboriginal population in Canada

o In 2006, ~1.17 million people identify as Aboriginal, 54% of which live in urban areas

(Norris & Clatworthy, 2004; Statistics Canada, 2006)

First Nations 50%

Métis 43%

Inuit 7%

Types of mobility

Urbanization accompanied by notably high rates of mobility

o Migration

o Residential mobility

o Homelessness

“…damaging effects on “individuals, families, and communities”? (Clatworthy & Norris, 2007)

“While the fact of frequent mobility among Indigenous people is acknowledged, the facts remain largely unknown” (Taylor, 1998)

Situating First Nations Mobility, Health, and Homelessness

o Canadian cities have emerged on traditional lands

• Historical removal of Aboriginal peoples from emerging urban areas

• Colonialism

o Evidence of disproportionate burden of health disparities, housing distress for Aboriginal peoples in urban areas

(Smylie, 2009; Adelson, 2005)

Guiding Research QuestionsWhat motivates the experience of mobility for First Nations

urban newcomers and

frequent movers?

How does frequent mobility

shape the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual healthof First Nations

people?

What role do services

providers play for urban

newcomers and frequent movers?

How do urban service providers

plan for and support mobile

populations?

Study site: Winnipeg, MB

• In Winnipeg, over 68,000 Aboriginal identity, 10% of the city’s population -- 40% of this population is First Nations

• Winnipeg is home to the largest urban Aboriginal and First Nations population in Canada

Working Together – Collaborative Research & Results

Conducting In-Depth Interviews

22 Service Providers

• Housing

• Health

• Social Services

• Education

• Employment

• Municipal and Tribal Council Representatives

24 Movers

• First Nation, Métis

• 5 Migrants, 5 Residential Movers

• 14 Migrant/Residential Mover

• 9 Male, 15 Female

• Ages 18-54

What Influences Mobility?

Vacancy rate down, rents up in WinnipegBy: Murray McNeillWinnipeg Free PressJune 9, 2011

WINNIPEG — Local apartment seekers are feeling the squeeze even more, according to the results of the latest rental market survey by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp.The federal housing agency said the already record-low average apartment vacancy rate in Winnipeg and in Manitoba has edged even lower, falling to 0.7 per cent in April…To compound renters’ woes, average rents also continue to climb. The average monthly rent for a two-bedroom apartment in the Winnipeg Census Metropolitan Area has increased by 3.2 per cent in the past year to $843. And the average rent for a one-bedroom unit has climbed by three per cent to $657.

• Access to adequate and affordable housing

• Flooding and other environmental disasters/contamination

• Access to health services

• Education/employment

• Discrimination/racism

Impacts of Mobility

“Too much moving…at one point, we were required to move because there’s too many people in the household…There’s always a reason – that place was always flooding…the sewer was always backing up and it was unhealthy…and it would just -"oh it won't happen again" [landlord]…So we left and then we moved…and there it was too small. Then [another address] there was too much gang activitythere…people were getting killed there…Yeah, lots of room there but it was just too dangerous.”

- Migrant/Residential Mover, Female, Age 40

I’m so used to moving all my life…I’m just used to moving all the time. I’m immune to it. Y’know, that’s it.

- Migrant/Residential Mover, Female, 45

Housing

“Without adequate, safe and affordable housing, to be healthy is tough. It’s a really tough job…if you’re living in conditions where there’s some kind of contaminant, whether it be an infestation of mice, bedbugs, cockroaches, whatever – or even mold spores – you can’t be healthy, it’s almost impossible…. A lot of tenants will not say a word because they’re afraid to get evicted…The more entrenched you are in poverty and marginalization and racism, [the vacancy rate] just goes down, down, down.”

- Non-Aboriginal Service Provider

“When you’re transitioning, you want to stick to what’s familiar, so you’re gonnawant to go to an Aboriginal organization because they’re going to be able to relate to you, and they’re going to be able to understand you.”

- Aboriginal Service Provider

“[When] a lot of First Nations people migrate to the city…they’re often moving to the city unprepared and without the supports that they need…they’re already going to struggle with the transition, and they’re going to struggle with trying to find the services, but they’re also going to struggle with battling stereotypes and racial images that are already made upon them before they even get into the city.”

- Aboriginal Service Provider

The Need for Appropriate Transitional Supports

The Role of EUTC – A Key to Success

• Accessible resources for First Nations/Aboriginal migrants and mobile/homeless urban residents

• Culturally appropriate resources

• Project funded

• Manitoba Chiefs: A partnership between research and organization

• http://eagleutc.com

New Tools and Resources for Migrant Outreach

Recommendations and Moving Forward

• Investing in urban transition services for First Nations/Aboriginal migrants

• International immigrant and refugee settlement models

• Timely access to safe, adequate, and appropriate housing

• Culturally safe programming, designed and delivered by Aboriginal people

• Collaborating with other urban centres