Having safe and affordable housing is an essential right for all families and individuals. We recognize that homelessness and lack of access to housing is a serious issue for our communities and is a direct cause of poor health, premature deaths, and missed economic opportunities in our communities. Understanding this, we are excited to announce that Bimose Tribal Council (BTC) and Kenora District Services Board (KDSB) have decided to work together on a joint initiative.

Unified and working together, we can better support families, elders, youth and children to access support programs and services, such as housing, social services, child care and education. Together, both organizations are driven to ensure adequate housing for all families and individuals in our communities, and we plan to do this together by:

• Infrastructure: Explore options to create, develop and improve infrastructure, so that is an adequate amount of housing.
• Finances: Explore options to finance infrastructure efforts.
• Funding: Explore options with partners to leverage and secure funding for the infrastructure efforts.
• Communication: Identify means and improve communication between Bimose Tribal Council and the Kenora District Services Board to streamline and expedite progress.
• Participation: Strategies to encourage engagement from First Nations, Kenora District Services Board, and all individuals involved.

BTC is thrilled to continue building our relationship with the KDSB team. We look forward to fostering a positive and long-term relationship to work collaboratively and collegially to create supports and programs that better reflect the realities and cultural needs of the communities our organizations serve.