Aboriginal Housing Society receives federal funding for affordable housing project – Lethbridge [Video]

The Aboriginal Housing Society recently received $34,997,000 in funding from the federal government for its Buffalo Lodge project in Lethbridge, Alta., which will provide affordable housing for Indigenous people.

According to Melissa Many Fingers, vice chair and treasurer for the Aboriginal Housing Society, members of the Indigenous community often encounter challenges when they must move off their reserve for work, schooling, or whatever life may require of them.

“We’re hit with racism and stereotyping,” said Many Fingers. “We’re also learning in an urban setting, and that in itself is difficult to overcome.”

Known as Iinii?toyis in Blackfoot, Buffalo Lodge aims to address these obstacles by providing a “community within a community,” mirroring the same feelings of comfort and safety its residents had at home on the reserve. Many Fingers says the housing will also meet the demands of a demographic that’s “being missed” due to the housing crisis across the country.

“It’s …