The City of Vancouver and the Urban Native Youth Association (UNYA) have taken a significant step in realizing an innovative social service hub for urban aboriginal youth by securing all the land for the new Native Youth Centre. The Centre will be the first of its kind in Canada: a purpose built, Aboriginal youth-led, multipurpose facility offering social, cultural, educational and health related programs, including 220 affordable homes.
“It’s awesome to see UNYA’s Native Youth Centre move forward after nearly 14 years of planning,” says Mayor Gregor Robertson. “Securing a prominent location at the corner of Hastings and Commercial across from the Aboriginal Friendship Centre creates a thriving hub for Vancouver’s urban Aboriginal community and an important cultural heart for the city. I’m pleased to support this project and I hope the BC and federal governments will make significant investments to make the Native Youth Centre a reality.”
“Our Government is committed to developing and implementing smart solutions to housing,” said the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development and Minister Responsible for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.
Created in 1988, UNYA was formed to respond to the needs of urban Aboriginal youth. Today, approximately 60% of the Aboriginal population lives in urban settings, and 60% of the overall Aboriginal population is under the age of 25.
UNYA works to empower youth by providing diverse opportunities for them to enhance their knowledge, develop their life and employment skills, and positively engage with community. It is the only Aboriginal hub. Currently, UNYA has over twenty programs and initiatives, 100 staff and 170 volunteers, and 265 community partners.
The City, through the Vancouver Affordable Housing Agency (VAHA) has funded $500,000 for pre-development costs for the Native Youth Centre, with additional funding from:
- $9.5 million in-kind donation of land at 1680 E. Hastings from Suncor;
- $500,000 in seed funding from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation; and
- City contributions to secure the remaining land, valued at approximately $10 million.
“With Suncor and the City of Vancouver stepping up to tangibly invest in Aboriginal youth, we are one step closer to creating the Native Youth Centre,” says Dena Klashinsky, Executive Director of UNYA.
As next steps:
- VAHA and UNYA are working to finalize the development agreement for the project, and work to develop an RFP for a development partner in early 2017;
- VAHA has submitted a response to the Aboriginal Housing Expression of Interest through BC Housing, with the hopes of securing additional provincial funding to deepen the affordability of the homes on site at the Native Youth Centre;
- UNYA and other partners will work to secure an additional $30 million to fund the Centre, with an additional $5 million to support an Endowment Fund;
- VAHA and other partners will work to secure approximately $30 million to fund the housing that achieves deeper levels of affordability for the local community; and
- VAHA will lead a public consultation on the project, in consultation with and support from UNYA and other partners.
