Housing Deptartment Profile
TIB Housing Department Profile
July 6, 2010
Weytk,
The Tk’emlups Housing Department has been under new management for two years and is looking forward to a transition that will hopefully improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the repair, maintenance and renovation processes for years to come. The Housing Department is staffed with 6 people, including the following positions:
• Housing Manager
• Housing Coordinator
• Housing Assistant
• Renovations Coordinator
• Journeyman Carpenter
• Carpentry Assistant
• Tenant Relations Officer
In addition, the Housing Department works closely with the Finance Department, including the Collections Officer, the Planning and Engineering Department and the Lands/Leasing/Taxation Department.
There are 279 houses on the Tk’emlups Indian Band reserve. According to 2006 census statistics, there are 1,786 people living within the Kamloops Indian Band reserve area including through leases on Sun Rivers (which the Lands/Leasing/Taxation Department manages). There are 710 registered Indians living on our lands, most of whom are band members.
There is a wait list for TIB that is updated annually by a selection committee. TIB is currently trying to increase the number of homes on TIB lands and has plans to build 50 new homes over the next 5 years at a rate of 10 homes per year to increase the number of band members living on-reserve. TIB will also be improving accessibility, by seeking out a direct lending system between the band and band members that would be funded by the First Nation Market Housing Fund. In fact, TIB has already made significant strides in this area, including being a member of the Homebuilders Association. We are also among the few bands to provide a First Time Homeowners subsidy of $15,000 for new home infrastructure to band members to cover septic and sewer drains, 50 feet of water line, a meter box, hydro hook up, gas hook up, and a driveway culvert.
As for existing homeowners and tenants, TIB’s work order process had its challenges. In the early days of the TIB Housing Department, home repair requests were done at Housing Committee meetings and the department was under-staffed. Today, housing repairs are done through work orders filled out at the Housing Department, which has undergone numerous transitions due to high staff turnover. However, in the future, we expect that we will track all home maintenance issues through a computer databasing system that that will log all needed repairs, maintenance issues and renovations to improve the effectiveness, efficiency and speed of the process. The TIB Housing Department believes it is now moving in the right direction by looking forward rather than backwards and by addressing the larger social and economic issues that are impacting its homeowners and tenants.
The TIB Housing Department offers the following programs and services:
• CMHC social housing,
• Ministerial Guarantee application assistance,
• Renovations,
• Emergency health and safety repairs,
• Service contracting for maintenance and daily upkeep of TIB houses,
• Collections, and
• Property management.
In the future, TIB is looking at:
• Computer databasing to guarantee Work Order completion and speed up the repair and maintenance process,
• Direct lending between the band and band members to increase the number of TIB homeowners,
• Christmas Lights and Best Yard Contests for our homeowners and tenants to be competed annually,
• Increasing capacity of Band Members on housing and maintenance issues.
The Tk’emlups Indian Band has a Housing Committee to assist with improving the Housing Department and to provide feedback and address the concerns of band members. If you would like to be on the Housing Committee or have any questions, comment or concerns, then contact our Housing Assistant at (250) 828-9719. We would be glad to inform you on the Housing Committee selection process or log your concerns and comments.
