For many First Nations families, the condition of the home shapes health every single day: damp and mould in the walls, too many people sharing too few rooms, and heating that cannot keep up with a northern winter. Fixing housing is one of the most direct things anyone can do for community health.
of First Nations people on reserve live in a home without enough bedrooms for the household, compared with 18.4% off reserve.
Source: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census (Housing conditions among First Nations people, Métis and Inuit).
of First Nations people with Registered or Treaty Indian status living on reserve, almost three times the rate off reserve (12.7%).
Source: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census.
of on-reserve homes contain mould at levels linked to serious respiratory illness. Canada does not systematically track mould in on-reserve homes, so academic estimates are the best available evidence.
Source: Miller, J.D., Mold growth in on-reserve homes in Canada, Journal of Environmental Health, 2012 (PMID 22329204).
In January 2019, Cat Lake First Nation in northern Ontario declared a state of emergency over its housing. Homes had been consumed by black mould, bare wiring and cracked foundations, and children were medically evacuated with respiratory illness. Read the full account in our Insights.
Crowding and poor repair are not separate problems from health. When families double and triple up in homes built for far fewer people, illness spreads more easily, and mould, thin insulation and failing systems put health at risk every winter.
The prefabricated modular homes PHA is working to deliver are designed for the Canadian north, with high-efficiency envelopes intended to cut heating costs and reduce the damp and mould that drive respiratory illness. Being honest about where we are: the first home is still unbuilt, and the work that funding pays for today is the community engagement, assessment and grant preparation that has to come first.
If your foundation or company funds community health, housing is a direct route to it. We would welcome a conversation about where your support would go. Pleiades Housing Alliance is a federally incorporated non-profit under the Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act, Corporation No. 1460040-1. Our CRA charitable registration has been filed and is not yet granted, so we cannot issue charitable tax receipts at this time.
Last reviewed: November 2026
