New home renovation program 

Starting next month, families in owner-occupied households will be able to apply for grants of up to $40,000 to pay toward major home repairs. The creation of the new program was made possible thanks to funding provided by Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) over the summer under its child and family services fund.

“Flooding, mold issues, heating issues, anything that's going to endanger the health and safety of our children will be looked at, so it's a very open-ended program,” said Council chief Ryan Montour, who had taken an active role in setting up the program alongside the local housing unit.

Homeowners requiring major renovations with at least one child under 26 living at home will be eligible to apply for the funding, as long as they’re also listed on the Kanien'kehá:ka of Kahnawà:ke Registry (KKR).

Priority will be given to applicants living in substandard conditions, like those living in crowded homes or ones that pose a danger their health. Renovations related to providing accommodations to children with special needs will also be prioritized. 

“The possibilities are endless,” Montour added. “It just depends on the state and condition of your house.”

Funds for home repairs had already been available to community members through the 

Mohawk Council of Kahnawake’s (MCK) administering of the provincial Residential Adaptation Assistance Program (RAAP), but it had many shortcomings, said executive operations officer Alan John Rice.

“Generally, there had to be an entire renovation of a house, and the need for an inspector to essentially tell community members what needs to be fixed,” he said. 

That program was also limited in the number of homeowners it could provide funding to.

“There was a time when there was a much larger budget that was given from the federal government to do those programs, so we were able to do a lot more,” Rice said. “Over the last few years, it's been shrinking more and more.”

Those annual envelopes from the government used to fall in the ballpark of $400,000 to $450,000, but had fallen to more around $60,000 as of 2017, Montour said. 

A total of $700,000 is being used to administer the renovation program for its first year.

“It's the highest it's ever been in our history,” the Council chief said. “I think the community is really going to benefit from this.”

That $700,000 came out of roughly $2 million that ISC provided to the MCK back in June to support housing initiatives. The remainder of that funding will go toward the construction of two 16-plexes.  

The funding program is expected to be formally launched at an event on December 17 at the Knights of Columbus. Application forms will also be printed and available there for community members to fill out. 

“We’re concentrating on this initiative because we know there's going to be a lot of applicants,” Montour said. “We want to get this money into community members’ hands as fast as possible.”

Applications for grants will be accepted until February 1, 2025, through scheduling an appointment at the Housing Unit, located in the Kahnawake Office Complex.

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