National Indigenous History Month 2023

To recognize National Indigenous History Month, BCNPHA will be shining a spotlight on the amazing work of Indigenous housing providers throughout BC. Each week in June, we’ll share these stories of resilience, success, and innovation here and across our social media channels.

We kicked things off with the Victoria Native Friendship Centre, located on Vancouver Island. Last week we featured the the Dakelh & Quesnel Community Housing Society (DQCHS) for their newest development, Stepping Stone. This week we are highlighting Kekinow Native Housing Society and their work in providing culturally supportive homes for Indigenous communities in Surrey.

Meeting the Needs of Surrey’s Large – and Growing – Urban Indigenous Community

As the only urban Indigenous housing provider in Surrey, Kekinow Native Housing Society is working hard to expand its housing portfolio to serve the community. According to a report by Skookum Surrey, there are more urban Indigenous people in Surrey than Vancouver, but only a fraction of the Indigenous service organizations and housing units exist.

Kekinow aims to meet that demand with a growing portfolio of culturally supportive homes for Indigenous people in Surrey. The organization opened its doors in 1987 and has since developed 239 units across five complexes in Surrey, and one in Chilliwack.

More recently, Kekinow has been redeveloping several properties; at Sohkeyah, 33 townhouses were demolished in two phases to create 177 new apartments. Phase 1 has been completed with 73 units and Phase 2 will be completed by summer 2024 to open 104 more units. The work is underway on rezoning the existing Kechi-O-Wekowin property, which will add up to 176 new units to the portfolio in two phases. Kekinow is also collaborating with provincial health authorities to develop an Indigenous Wellness Centre at Kechi-O-Wekowin .

In 2020 the organization created a sister society, Kekinow Indigenous Programs and Services Society (KIPSS), to provide more focused programs and services to the Indigenous community in Surrey. These include cultural outreach and access to support workers to ensure individuals and families have access to resources, such as counselling and connections within and outside the community.

KIPSS is also aiming to increase the capacity of local youth and Elders to better understand the needs of Indigenous people at risk of or experiencing homelessness. Wraparound service provision strengthens individuals’ connection to the community, with a focus on Elders – building essential skills within informal community support networks using a cultural approach rooted in traditional values.

As a part of this endeavor, KIPSS started employment training programs and engaged with other services providers who come to Kekinow’s housing sites to provide services like dental hygiene, yoga, mental health counselling, safety training for women, and more.

For more information about Kekinow, please visit kekinow.ca.

Previous Story Spotlights

Helping Urban Indigenous Youth Find a Safe Place to Call Home
Stepping Stone to Culturally Supportive Housing
Donate Now Graphic from Victoria Native Friendship Centre.