How can we heal when we are focused on survival? The African Canadian community establish an affordable housing project

BY PAUL JUNOR

Rwandian Canadian Healing has collaborated with six African Canadian community organizations to create the African Canadian Affordable Housing – Solutions Lab Project. The intended aim is to incorporate traditional African values into an affordable housing model to address the need for more suitable and culturally relevant housing for continental African Canadians.

The Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) was an active participant contributing more than $230,000 to the project to design a model of housing that typifies the traditional African village. The goal is that this model design will be affordable, culturally relevant, and intergenerational.

The six partners who are part of the African Canadian Affordable Housing Lab Project are:

• The Ghanian-Canadian Association of Canada (GCAO)
• Network for the Advancement of Black Communities (NABC)
• CASA Consult Design Inc
• The New Nakla-Eritrean Community Network
• The GTA Rwandan Canadian Collective
• Kenyan Canadian Association (KCA)

The Rwandian-Canadian Healing Centre (RCHC) is a federally registered non-profit organization that was founded in 2018 by Kizoto Musabimana and operates from Toronto. It primarily provides services to the Rwandian Canadian community, but it works with other communities to help individuals overcome traumatic experiences from genocides, wars and other catastrophes. Their mission is to ensure they are building a Healing Centre for all who struggle with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTDS) and other trauma-related effects. The overall vision is to serve as a Multidimensional PTSD Research Centre for healing education, and social advocacy.

The project will involve five phases that are projected to be completed by June 2023. They will then collaborate to promote and implement the housing model. In addition, the National Housing Strategy will play an important role in ensuring that solutions are presented to tackle the ongoing housing challenges, which are present across Canada.

Kizito Musabimana, Founder and Executive Director of RCHC states, “We want to recreate the support and community of traditional African villages for African Canadians living in Canada who haven’t been able to experience it. It will bring a taste of home to the community. As a newcomer in Canada who has experienced homelessness, I would have greatly benefitted from an affordable housing project like this, which focuses on community and connection that offers resources to navigate a new country. I hope the project brings about positive lasting impacts that address affordable housing challenges.”

Moses Gashirabake, Chairman of the Board of RCHC states, “We are an organization that focuses on mental health, and we realized that improving mental health starts by ensuring our basic needs are met. How can we heal when we are focused on survival? A lack of affordable housing and rising living costs directly worsens Canada’s mental health crisis.”