Housing as Healing: Anne Stevenson on Indigenous-Led and Community-Centered Housing in Edmonton

By Chevi Rabbit, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

(ANNews) – Edmonton City Councillor Anne Stevenson brings years of experience in affordable housing to her role on City Council.

“I’m a city planner by background, and I think the way we design our cities can help with equity, culture, and community. It can make people’s daily lives much better, act as an engine for equity, and help reduce the inequities that exist through income, race, and culture. It can be a real equalizing force,” said Stevenson.

“I have a long background in housing, and when I moved back to Edmonton, I joined the Right at Home Housing Society. I was on their board for six years,” she said.

Supporting Indigenous-Led Housing

One of her earliest decisions on the board was pivotal. “The very first decision I made was to approve a $1 million investment in NiGiNan Housing Ventures. It was at risk of not moving forward, and we stepped up as a non-profit to move it forward,” she said.

“That created a really special relationship with NiGiNan Housing Ventures. I feel that I learned so, so much through working with that organization. They bring such important insights,” Stevenson added.

She emphasized the unique impact of Indigenous-led housing models. “Organizations like NiGiNan are able to bring such important insights and expertise – not just in providing housing, but through sensitive community experience. Supporting and protecting Indigenous affordable housing is about really defining what housing means. It’s not just a unit. It’s real land, real community, and real opportunity.”

Stevenson highlighted the role of care and community in NiGiNan’s approach: “NiGiNan Housing Ventures – they talk really explicitly about love being a part of their system. That’s actually providing a sense of calm, belonging, and healing. And that is not only wonderful for the individuals who receive that care, but it also creates a more effective system. People are not cycling in and out of homelessness as much, and economically, they’re finding stability moving forward.”

Omamoo Wango Gamik: Housing with a Purpose

Stevenson worked closely with NiGiNan on the Omamoo Wango Gamik (All Our Relations) housing site, which opened in 2020. “Omamoo Wango Gamik focuses on reunification and women experiencing houselessness who are pregnant, so that their kids can stay out of care. It’s a really effective model and one that can prevent the intergenerational impacts of residential schools,” she said.

“This model has proven effective in helping families stay together while keeping children out of the Child and Family Services system,” she added. “Residents experience independent living, benefit from offered supports, and have opportunities to build a sense of community.”

Supporting High-Needs Populations, Including PDD Housing

Stevenson also highlighted housing for people with complex needs, including PDD housing. “A lot of folks who are experiencing homelessness are very high-needs individuals. They have very complex needs, and in another circumstance, they might not be considered capable of caring for themselves, and they need a group setting. Even if they weren’t experiencing addiction or other challenges, they might not be capable of independent living. Housing in group home settings recognizes these complexities. Some people wouldn’t succeed in larger permanent supportive housing; they really need a home-based small group to provide support. That includes PDD housing. It’s about seeing the need for community and building that,” Stevenson said.

Addressing Systemic Inequities

Stevenson emphasized the broader social and systemic context. “To help Indigenous women flee violence, basic needs matter – housing, poverty reduction, affordable housing. Much of this comes from roots in racism and misogyny, which is why the City invests in anti-racism initiatives. Misogyny is an issue across the board in Edmonton. It harms Indigenous women, and it affects the entire community,” she said.

She also highlighted the importance of increasing shelter capacity. “I’m very supportive of building a new women’s shelter in the new corridor. We’ve provided land for that initiative, which is critical because many existing facilities are overcapacity,” Stevenson said.

On the broader approach to housing and city policy, Stevenson said: “We are working with Indigenous rights holders. We have formal MOUs with the Confederacy of Treaty 6 related to housing. We’re working toward more affordable housing through our Indigenous-led housing stream, and directly with Indigenous organizations like NiGiNan Housing Ventures.”

Equity, Access, and Removing Barriers

Stevenson reflected on the limits of municipal power in addressing systemic inequities. “The challenge that I feel, particularly at the municipal level, is that we don’t hold all the levers we need to make that transformation. We don’t hold the education levers, the health levers, or the income support levers. I think those are really critical to changing equity,” she said.

“You know, even four years in, we still often have to have conversations that are defining the difference between equality and equity. Those are uncomfortable conversations, because it can come across as people thinking there are winners and losers, so some groups are going to get more than others. I think it’s just on us to consistently reiterate that equity doesn’t create winners and losers; it creates a more effective system where people receive the support they need, rather than spreading resources in a way that doesn’t optimize them and potentially puts too much in one area and not enough in another,” Stevenson added.

She says that part of her legacy is ensuring people can access the supports they need without unnecessary obstacles. “I aim to take as many barriers away as possible,” she says. She is particularly focused on making Edmonton more transit-friendly and accessible. “We want to remove barriers around transit so that people can move around the city more freely, because it’s expensive to own a car. And we’re not there yet, but we will be.”