Retracing Pathways Home in Radeyili Ko: Towards a Resilient Homeownership Model for Northern Indigenous Communities

Systems of housing in the Northwest Territories have long been insufficiently resourced to meet the region’s urgent levels of housing need. Further complications arise from histories of ineffective policy. Housing indicators show a state of crisis that appears to be more extreme than ever, while com...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Derkowski, Kristel
Other Authors: Tsenkova, Sasha, Monteyne, David Patrick, Hamel, Catherine
Format: Master Thesis
Language:English
Published: Graduate Studies 2024
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/1880/118416
https://doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/43258
Description
Summary:Systems of housing in the Northwest Territories have long been insufficiently resourced to meet the region’s urgent levels of housing need. Further complications arise from histories of ineffective policy. Housing indicators show a state of crisis that appears to be more extreme than ever, while complex systemic factors challenge the delivery of effective solutions. This research explores the housing system in the Dene community Rádeyı̨lı̨ Kǫ́ (Fort Good Hope), Northwest Territories, as a case study for a ‘non-market’ northern, remote, Indigenous community. The methodology uses qualitative and quantitative analysis, participatory action research, and a design thinking approach. A historical review of housing policy and outcomes identifies how the crisis has evolved, and is followed by a comparative analysis of current housing conditions and key contributing factors. A potential intervention is outlined, in terms of recommendations for a transitional model of homeownership that responds effectively to the economic, social, environmental, and institutional context in the community of Fort Good Hope. The research proposes a framework for resilience in interdisciplinary and multiscalar terms as a response to the profound vulnerabilities of northern housing systems, with the potential for replicability in other communities or contexts.