$1.1-M boost to homeownership fund for Indigenous women

The Manitoba government is giving $1.1 million to an organization that helps Indigenous women buy homes.

Manitoba Tipi Mitiwa, an Indigenous first-time homebuyers program created through a partnership between the Manitoba Real Estate Association and the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, will receive the money to help women and their families.

The program has helped 36 families become homeowners since it was established in 2009. All recipients have kept their mortgage in good standing.

“When our women have secure housing, everything changes,” Families Minister Nahanni Fontaine said at the announcement. “Families can focus on building the foundation for the future instead of worrying about where they’ll live next.”

The money comes from the province’s Mino’Ayaawag Ikwewag housing program, aimed at supporting Indigenous women, girls, two-spirit and gender-diverse people.

The Tipi Mitawa program is available for single women and mothers who have lived in Manitoba for at least a decade and who have a household income between $68,500 and $106,212.

Applicants must go through financial literacy and home ownership training before receiving help with down payments and closing costs. Homes can be purchased anywhere in the province.

More than 700 people are on the waiting list for Tipi Mitawa.

Program co-chair Jason Whitford called the funding a “profound statement of trust, partnership, and vision for the future.”

nicole.buffie@freepress.mb.ca