Housing Solutions for Indigenous Youth Aging Out of Care

Housing Solutions for Indigenous Youth Aging Out of Care is a Solutions Lab led by HTFC Inc. and Aboriginal Youth Opportunities. It seeks to identify ways to reduce homelessness and housing insecurity with this very vulnerable group. It targets Indigenous youth in the provincial child welfare system in Winnipeg who lose supports at age 18. The Lab focuses on developing innovative solutions to help young people in this transition and meet their housing needs. The result will be a roadmap to reduce the rates of homelessness, housing insecurity and poverty among Indigenous youth in this city.

Project scope and expected outcomes

How will the Lab be conducted?

HTFC Planning & Design leads a Solutions Lab finding housing solutions for Indigenous youth aging out of care in Winnipeg. This Solutions Lab takes place in 5 phases:

Definition:
The lab group will ask a Traditional Knowledge Keeper to name the team and process. They will create an agenda using a ‘two-eyed seeing’ approach. This approach recognizes the different ways that Indigenous and European based cultures see the problem.

Discovery:
A ‘deep dive’ workshop will create a safe space for people to talk about the issues. Youth in care, or recently out of care will be there along with services and support providers.

Development:
The next step is to think about new solutions. The participants will think about the root causes of insecurity.

Prototype & Test:
Small teams will get together to think through the best ideas.

Roadmap:
A ‘sense making’ workshop will bring all the people and ideas together. The Solutions Lab consultant will coach the team to make sure that the ideas are clear and can be shared. A closing Pipe Ceremony will list the future commitments and actions. This will help the roadmap become a reality.