Building Strength Through Shelter

The report advocates for 'Healthy Energy Homes'—housing that is energy efficient, climate resilient, and supports inhabitant well-being—as a way to simultaneously improve Indigenous health outcomes and contribute to Canada's net zero goals. It argues that current government approaches are fragmented and siloed, failing to value the long-term health costs and emissions associated with inadequate housing. The authors recommend a shift toward co-developed, long-term, and flexible financial partnerships between governments and Indigenous rights holders to overcome capacity constraints and ensure cultural relevance in housing solutions.

• The 'Healthy Energy Homes' approach defines housing as being energy efficient, climate resilient, and supportive of the well-being of its inhabitants, focusing on human and community dimensions alongside greenhouse gas reduction.
• Current government housing solutions for Indigenous communities are fragmented and siloed, often disconnected from local realities and failing to account for the long-term greenhouse gas emissions and health costs of poor housing.
• The report recommends that federal, provincial, and territorial governments establish explicit coordination mechanisms, such as interdepartmental working groups, with Indigenous governments to streamline resources and integrate policy frameworks.
• Financial models for Indigenous housing should shift from one-time project funding toward long-term, flexible, and self-determined partnerships, including blended finance and outcome-based agreements.
• The establishment of Build Canada Homes, a $13 billion federal agency, is identified as a current opportunity for governments to improve Indigenous infrastructure through the Healthy Energy Homes model.
• Reporting requirements for housing projects should be expanded to measure wholistic benefits, including social, cultural, environmental, and economic impacts, rather than focusing solely on project outputs.

APA

Canadian Climate Institute (2025). Building Strength Through Shelter. https://climateinstitute.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Building-strength-through-shelter-Executive-summary.pdf

Chicago

Canadian Climate Institute. Building Strength Through Shelter. 2025. https://climateinstitute.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Building-strength-through-shelter-Executive-summary.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Canadian Climate Institute |title=Building Strength Through Shelter |date=December 2025 |url=https://climateinstitute.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Building-strength-through-shelter-Executive-summary.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{canadianclimateinstitute2025building, author = {{Canadian Climate Institute}}, title = {{Building Strength Through Shelter}}, institution = {Canadian Climate Institute}, year = {2025}, month = dec, url = {https://climateinstitute.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Building-strength-through-shelter-Executive-summary.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }