Indigenous Homelessness On and Off Reserve
It is highly important to distinguish that homelessness on reserve and off reserve is not the same. The Indian Act was forced upon the reserve system, which is a huge part of colonization. This policy stripped away the status of Indigenous folks if they made the decision to leave the reserve. As a result, on reserve living conditions are classified as part of homelessness by some Indigenous activists (Indigenous Peoples, 2017). This is highly problematic because the living conditions on reserves are unbearable, to the point that it forces them to move to urban settings in search of better living conditions and opportunities. However, individuals do not realize that they will not escape being marginalized in urban areas. The cycle is nearly impossible to escape until the structures in society change.
I question how the sense of belonging will be established among the community when the State forces them to live in these horrible living circumstances. The community will continue to experience homelessness until people start to realize, “… the connections to human kinship networks; relations to animals, plants, spirits, and elements; relationship to the Earth, lands, waters, and territories; and connection to traditional stories, songs, teachings, names, and ancestors…” (Indigenous Peoples, 2017, par. 5). This is how Indigenous people define home and currently off and on most reserves do not provide this to the community. It frustrates me and probably a lot of you reading this that the government abuses its power. The government needs to start valuing Indigenous peoples lived experiences and knowledge. The knowledge needs to be represented in the policies and legislation passed to challenge colonial regulations.
