2025-2026 Highlight report: Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQI+ people in urban centres

Reporting on progress made to address violence against urban Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people.

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Introduction

In response to the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls' Final Report and Call for Justice 1.1, the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People National Action Plan was released on June 3, 2021. The Federal Pathway to Address Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People is the Government of Canada's contribution to the National Action Plan and reflects its ongoing commitment to addressing violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people.

Families and survivors living in urban environments continue to emphasize that the needs and priorities of Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQI+ people living in urban centres requires focused and flexible action that is grounded in the urban context. The Calls for Justice recognize that improving safety and well-being requires addressing interconnected social, cultural, and structural challenges. These challenges are often particularly acute in urban settings, where housing insecurity, homelessness, limited access to culturally safe services, and disconnection from culture and language can increase vulnerability and create barriers to support. As a result, the Calls for Justice highlight the urgent need for culturally grounded and Indigenous-led approaches that strengthen community safety, wellness, restore cultural identity, and address systemic inequities in the urban context. The priorities identified by the Urban Sub-Working Group and the National Action Plan (PDF), developed by the Congress of Aboriginal People, both emphasize that federal efforts to address the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people in urban environments must centre the voices and leadership of urban Indigenous communities and include ongoing federal investments.

This report highlights federal initiatives that respond to priorities identified by the Urban Sub-Working Group and the Congress of Aboriginal people, focusing on the following key areas:

Housing, shelters, and homelessness

As outlined in the Urban National Action Plan and reinforced in the Calls for Justice, access to safe, stable, and culturally appropriate housing is recognized as a human right by the Government of Canada through the National Housing Strategy Act and it a critical priority for urban Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people. Housing insecurity and homelessness are key factors that lead to greater risk of violence, particularly in urban settings, where many Indigenous individuals experience disproportionate rates of poverty, homelessness, unsafe housing, and limited access to culturally safe supports. In response, federal housing initiatives continue to advance Indigenous-led, community-driven solutions that provide stability, safety, and culturally appropriate services.

The National Housing Strategy includes programs led by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation and Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada. Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation-led programs support efforts to expand safe and affordable housing for Indigenous people living in urban areas. Recognizing the longstanding housing crisis affecting Indigenous and northern communities, the strategy invests in projects designed to meet the unique housing needs of urban Indigenous families and individuals through programs such as the Affordable Housing Fund, the Rapid Housing Initiative, and other housing investments. In 2025-2026, approximately $56.7 million supported 23 urban housing projects, contributing to the development of safe, affordable, and sustainable housing options for Indigenous peoples. Since program launch in 2018, the Affordable Housing Fund has committed $25 million to repair 572 existing units in the urban Indigenous community housing stock, improving housing quality and safety, and maintaining essential affordable units for Indigenous residents. These investments advance the Calls for Justice 4.1, 4.6, and 4.7 by addressing inadequate housing, homelessness, and overcrowding – key parts of a broader strategy to reduce violence and improve safety for Indigenous women, girls, and gender-diverse people living in urban communities.

Additional efforts to narrow housing disparities affecting urban Indigenous people are supported through the Urban, Rural and Northern Indigenous Housing Strategy. This strategy aims to reduce longstanding inequities between Indigenous and non-Indigenous households across urban, rural, and northern regions. By prioritizing those experiencing the most acute housing needs, the strategy strengthens Indigenous-led housing providers and organizations and supports the expansion of affordable and culturally appropriate urban housing options. This work aligns with the Calls for Justice 4.6 and 4.7, by improving access to safe housing, and addressing systemic inequities that add to higher levels of vulnerability and violence faced by urban Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQI+ people.

Preventing and reducing homelessness is another key component of these efforts. Reaching Home: Canada's Homelessness Strategy, delivered by Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada, uses a community-based approach that enables urban centres, Indigenous organizations and partners, and regional partners to identify their own priorities and implement programs tailored to local needs. Through the Indigenous Homelessness Stream, the program supported Indigenous-led programming in 30 urban communities and seven regional areas across the country, specifically focused on off-reserve and urban Indigenous populations. In 2025–2026, over $111 million was allocated to more than 250 projects aimed at preventing and reducing Indigenous homelessness. These initiatives may include emergency housing supports, transitional housing programs, outreach services, and culturally appropriate wraparound supports. These efforts advance Calls for Justice 4.7, 16.19, 18.24, and 18.25, by supporting community-driven housing solutions and improving access to safe, culturally grounded housing for Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people living in urban communities.

Federal investments continue to support Indigenous women and gender-diverse individuals fleeing violence. The $724.1 million Indigenous Shelter and Transitional Housing Initiative jointly delivered by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation and Indigenous Services Canada, funds the construction and operation of shelters and transitional housing for Indigenous communities. In 2025-2026, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation flowed more than $31.6 million to support the creation of new shelters and transitional housing for urban Indigenous housing projects. These new shelters and transitional housing units expanded access to safe, culturally informed in urban regions. These facilities provide safe, culturally appropriate housing and support services for Indigenous women, children, and 2SLGBTQI+ individuals in urban areas who are fleeing gender-based violence. These investments respond to Calls for Justice 4.7 and 16.19, by strengthening culturally safe shelter networks and ensuring Indigenous women and families experiencing violence have access to secure housing and holistic supports.

Community safety

Federal efforts to advance community safety in urban settings continue to prioritize Indigenous-led, culturally grounded approaches that address the root causes of violence and strengthen safety, healing and well-being for urban Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people. Consistent with the Urban National Action Plan and Calls for Justice, these initiatives recognize that culturally informed healing, trauma-informed support, and community-led programming is needed to prevent violence and support resilience in urban Indigenous communities, including addressing the distinct needs of 2SLGBTQI+ Indigenous communities. The Pathways to Safe Indigenous Communities initiative, led by Indigenous Services Canada supports Indigenous-designed projects that promote healing, trauma-informed supports, culturally competent services and safer environments for Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people. In 2025–2026, funded projects included:

Public Safety Canada's Northern and Indigenous Crime Prevention Fund continued to support community-based, culturally responsive crime prevention initiatives that aim to strengthen community safety in Indigenous and northern communities. By focusing on Indigenous-led projects and promoting community knowledge sharing, the program ensures that prevention strategies reflect the realities and priorities of the communities they serve. In 2025–2026, $287,242 was allocated to the Montreal Indigenous Community Network to adapt and implement the Strengthening Families Program for the urban Indigenous community in Montreal, providing culturally informed and evidence-based program supports for families with youth aged 10 to 14 that strengthen protective family processes and reduce risk factors associated with violence, conflict, and substance use. This work aligns with Call for Justice 5.5iv, calling for culturally appropriate prevention programs and family strengthening supports.

Through the Comprehensive Violence Prevention Strategy – Family Violence Prevention Program, Indigenous Services Canada funded more than 400 Indigenous-led initiatives across Canada that provide emergency shelters, second-stage housing, and culturally grounded supports and prevention programming. These investments reflect Calls for Justice 1.8, 4.7, and 7.3 by strengthening cultural safety and community-based services for Indigenous women and families. Funded projects include:

The Indigenous Community Corrections Initiative, led by Public Safety Canada, further advanced restorative and community-based justice approaches through culturally grounded alternatives to incarceration and reintegration supports. Projects funded through the initiative will offer culturally grounded supports such as trauma counselling, addiction recovery, life-skills coaching, family reunification services, and traditional healing practices. In 2025-2026, this included support for the Indigenous Restorative Justice Worker project led by the City of Campbell River, which is intended to expand the capacity of the community's restorative justice program. Working in partnership with We Wai Kai Nation, Wei Wai Kum First Nation, Homalco First Nation, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and local service providers, the program will assist service providers to deliver culturally aware and trauma-informed responses to conflict and crime. These efforts align with Call for Justice 14.6, which highlights the importance of wide-ranging incarceration and reintegration supports. The program also emphasizes the importance of restorative justice, community-based corrections, trauma-informed approaches, and culturally relevant justice practices.

The Urban Programming for Indigenous Peoples initiative, delivered by Indigenous Services Canada, continued to support First Nations, Inuit, and Métis individuals living in or transitioning to urban centres by offering culturally safe services that address systems barriers contributing to homelessness, poverty and violence, which disproportionately affect Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people. The program also continued to work with the National Association of Friendship Centres and the Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres to better understand urban Indigenous needs and support services that promote cultural safety and well-being for Indigenous people in cities. In 2025–2026, more than $56.2 million was invested in urban Indigenous programming across Canada. Examples of funded projects include:

Culture and language revitalization

Urban Indigenous culture and language revitalization remain central to advancing safety, identity, and well-being, as emphasized in the National Inquiry and the Calls for Justice. The federal government recognizes that access to culture and language is a protective factor against violence and that urban Indigenous effort that emphasize restoring culture, language, and identity are essential foundations for safety and well-being.

The Indigenous Languages Program, led by Canadian Heritage, continued to support Indigenous language reclamation and revitalization in line with the Indigenous Languages Act. In 2025-2026, approximately $6.1 million supported multi-distinction and urban Indigenous language initiatives through multi-year funding agreements, enabling sustained programming in urban and mixed-community contexts. Through the program, organizations such as the National Association of Friendship Centres deliver Indigenous language programming for Indigenous people living in cities by supporting community-based language learning opportunities and facilitating knowledge sharing among urban Indigenous organizations. These investments align with Calls for Justice 2.2ii and 2.3, by supporting the restoration, protection and transmission of Indigenous languages and cultures as essential foundations for safety, well-being, community connections, and identify of Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people.

Early childhood education programming remains a critical avenue for promoting culture and language revitalization in urban environments. Through the Indigenous Early Learning and Child Care Quality Improvement Projects fund, Employment and Social Development Canada provided $649,187 to the Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres to develop a governance model that defines high-quality Indigenous early learning and strengthens culturally grounded licensing service standards. This work supports Indigenous-designed early learning environments where Indigenous children and families can engage with culture and language from an early age, advancing Calls for Justice 2.3, 16.25, 17.7, and 17.26.

Similarly, the Public Health Agency of Canada's Aboriginal Head Start in Urban and Northern Communities program continued to foster the holistic development of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis children aged 0 to 6 living in urban and northern communities. The program integrates six key components to foster well-being and strengthen cultural identity among young children and their families:

In 2025–2026, approximately $70 million supported 136 urban and northern sites across the country and advanced collaborative work with the National Aboriginal Head Start Association of Canada to strengthen Indigenous-led governance models and to develop community-defined indicators of success.

Cultural revitalization efforts were further supported through heritage and public education initiatives such as the Museums Assistance Program – Indigenous Heritage Component, led by Canadian Heritage, which funds projects that preserve, promote and share Indigenous histories, knowledge, and artistic expression. In 2025–2026, $121,878 supported Parcours muséal intégré au Centre d'amitié autochtone de Val-d'Or, led by Centre d'amitié autochtone de Val-d'Or to develop a museum-style exhibition in partnership with La Boîte Rouge VIF and Indigenous artist Chantal Simard Nattaway. The project will display artifacts and artworks from the Centre's collection and involve community members in curating and presenting the exhibit. By creating accessible community-based spaces for cultural expression and intergenerational learning, these initiatives advance Call for Justice 2.1 by strengthening cultural pride and ensuring Indigenous cultures and histories are meaningfully reflected in urban environments.

Progress towards transformational systemic change

These initiatives contribute to transformational systemic change by addressing long-standing structural inequities that have historically contributed to violence and marginalization experienced by Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQI+ people in urban environments. Federal investments in Indigenous-led strategies grounded in community priorities, Indigenous knowledge and distinctions-based approaches are helping to reduce systemic barriers, strengthen culturally safe services, and expand access to safe affordable housing and community supports. Over time, these investments advance the broader vision of the Calls for Justice by fostering more equitable, culturally responsive systems that uphold the safety, well-being, and self-determination of Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people, and by supporting the long-term transformation of urban service systems to better reflect Indigenous leadership, priorities, rights, and perspectives.

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