On Canada’s National Indigenous People’s Day, June 21st, we were pleased to host Margaret Pfoh, the Chief Executive Office of Aboriginal Housing Management Association.
For over 25 years, the Aboriginal Housing Management Association (AHMA) has been working tirelessly to coordinate the work of over 50 indigenous-led organizations dedicated to addressing the inequities and barriers faced by indigenous people in finding adequate, culturally appropriate housing. In January, 2022, the organization released British Columbia’s first Indigenous community-led Provincial Urban, Rural and Northern Indigenous Housing Strategy.
In our interview with Margaret Pfoh, CEO of AHMA, we will learn about this amazing association and its vision for housing off-reserve peoples. We covered:
- The history of AHMA and the organization’s work within the local and national housing landscape
- The demographic context about the barriers to accessing housing Indigenous people face
- Discuss the Aboriginal Housing Strategy Plan released in January and how that process is progressing.
- Discuss the proposed housing strategy objects, principles, and strategic actions and how these will change the status quo
- Culturally appropriate housing programs and services
- Recent initiatives in the news, such as, Agreement between the Squamish Nation and City of Vancouver, and funding for retrofit affordable housing to address heat waves
- Finally, It being National Indigenous History Month and National Indigenous Peoples Day next week, we discussed Margaret’s thoughts on these events and their connection to reconciliation in Canada.
The following is an excerpt image from the Indigenous community-led Provincial Urban, Rural and Northern Indigenous Housing Strategy release in January.
