In 1966, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada introduced a rental housing construction program for the Crees. However, by 1970, few homes had been built under the program, and most of those that were built were of very poor quality. About half of the Crees still lived in tents or makeshift homes when they were in the village.
The number of homes in the communities has quadrupled since 1976, whereas the number of people per home has dropped 38%. However, the rapid demographic growth and the relatively moderate growth in housing starts means that the existing housing stock cannot meet the needs of the population.

The band councils are responsible for housing on Category I lands, under the provisions of the Cree-Naskapi (of Québec) Act (1984). The band councils handle the construction, assignment and rental of homes. Much of the financing for housing construction is provided through Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) funds and, to a lesser extent, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) subsidies. Funds recently granted under the Paix des Braves are also used for housing. INAC funding for housing construction varies from community to community, depending on remoteness. The CMHC, through its social housing program, provides loans to cover the difference between INAC subsidies and actual construction costs. The Crees have been using the CMHC’s social housing program since 1978 (Hawkins, 2000). INAC funding has increased only slightly since 1984 and, due to inflation, CMHC loans have taken on growing importance. In 2000, the CMHC covered roughly 75% of construction costs. The CMHC also provides a subsidy (lifetime cost envelope) for housing maintenance, which covers the entire amortization period of the loan (Hawkins, 2000). Since 1986, loans and subsidies for housing construction have helped create roughly 50 housing units a year, while the demand has been increasing by 113 units annually (Hawkins, 2001).

For a number of years now, the band councils have been encouraging the Crees to become homeowners, using a formula which combines a mortgage loan and a CMHC subsidy for the down payment. The percentage of non-rental housing in Cree communities remained virtually unchanged between 1991 and 2001, around 10%. The figures vary from one community to the next, however, because in coastal communities, with the exception of Chisasibi, the entire housing stock is rental, whereas in Oujé-Bougoumou most residents own their homes (71%). It has to be noted that based on data obtained from the band councils by Hawkins (2000), the breakdown of housing units by type of ownership clearly shows that the proportion of private dwellings in 1999 (6%) is well below estimates made by Statistics Canada in 2001 (10%).

The Crees have been concerned about the housing shortage for a number of years.In 1983, the shortfall was estimated at 496 units, or 44% of the existing housingstock and, in 1999, at 1,403 units, or 58% of the existing stock (Hawkins, 2000).In a number of communities, the condition of housing is also a concern. In 1999,it was estimated that 45% of existing housing needed to be replaced or renovatedbecause it was substandard.

In terms of the number of occupants per unit, the data provided by StatisticsCanada and the data supplied to Hawkins by the Cree communities differ significantly.In 1999, there were 5.1 people per dwelling according to Hawkins (2000), comparedwith the 4.1 people per dwelling reported by Statistics Canada in its 2001 census.In 1999, 60% of dwellings in Cree communities were considered overcrowded, basedon Canadian standards of one occupant per room. In 2001, Statistics Canada censusdata showed that the number of people per home was twice as high in the Creecommunities as in the rest of Québec (4.1 compared to 2.2). Many young familiesand single people who are no longer minors live with their parents waiting fora home to become available.1

The Grand Council of the Crees has taken various measures to encourage housingconstruction, in view of the housing shortage noted since 1983. During the 1990s,the Crees took a number of steps to obtain increased funding for housing fromthe federal government under the JBNQA. However, the federal government has refusedto negotiate specific housing subsidies for the Crees under this agreement. TheGrand Council of the Crees (Eeyou Istchee) has also commissioned several studieson housing, including one in 1999 to better determine housing needs in Cree communities.In 2001, in accordance with the new federal policy on housing adopted in 19972,the Crees formulated an action plan addressed to the federal government. Theobjective of the plan was the construction of 1,475 new homes within ten years3andthe establishment of a program to encourage access to private ownership througha rent-to-own arrangement (Hawkins, 2001).

1 Most of the dwellings built in the communities are single-family homes; apartments for single people or young families are very rare. This can explains partly the discrepancy between the number of people per home in Cree communities and in the rest of Québec.
2 This policy emphasizes the renovation of existing dwellings, the use of Nativelabour and firms in housing construction and access to private ownership.
3 The construction of Cree housing would involve roughly 85% Cree labour (Hawkins,2001).