Reaching Home Indigenous NL
Who we are
Supporting Indigenous Communities in NL with Housing, Stability, and Hope.
Reaching Home Indigenous NL is a federally funded initiative administered through the Labrador Friendship Centre, with a province-wide mandate. It is dedicated to serving off-reserve Indigenous individuals regardless of status or origin who are experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness in Newfoundland and Labrador.
The Regional Advisory Board (RAB) is currently issuing a Call for Proposals, offering funding over a one-year period for capital projects and/or services aimed at reducing homelessness among Indigenous populations. All funds must be expended by March 31, 2028.
Call for Proposals 2027/2028
IMPORTANT: Deadline for applications is February 3, 2027 at 4:00 pm (Labrador time)
Project period: April 1, 2027 – March 31, 2028. As per Reaching Home directives, all projects must be completed, and funds expended, by March 31, 2028.
Reaching Home is a national initiative which aims to prevent and reduce homelessness across Canada. Reaching Home Indigenous NL is the funding stream serving Indigenous people who live off-reserve in the province of Newfoundland & Labrador.
Definition of Indigenous Homelessness
For the purposes of Reaching Home, and subject to revision based on ongoing engagement and consultation with Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous homelessness refers to:
Indigenous Peoples who are in the state of having no home due to colonization, trauma and/or whose social, cultural, economic, and political conditions place them in poverty. Having no home includes: those who alternate between shelter and unsheltered, living on the street, couch surfing, using emergency shelters, living in unaffordable, inadequate, substandard and unsafe accommodations or living without the security of tenure; anyone regardless of age, released from facilities (such as hospitals, mental health and addiction treatment centers, prisons, transition houses), fleeing unsafe homes as a result of abuse in all its definitions, and any youth transitioning from all forms of care.
(Aboriginal Homelessness Steering Committee, 2019, as reported to the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness and included in the Reaching Home Directives).
About Reaching Home Indigenous NL
- Federally funded and administered through the Labrador Friendship Centre.
- Provincial in scope.
- Serving off-reserve Indigenous people, regardless of their status or origin, who are experiencing homelessness or at risk of experiencing homelessness in Newfoundland and Labrador.
- The Regional Advisory Board (RAB) is issuing a Call for Proposals for capital projects and/or services to reduce homelessness for Indigenous people.
The funding priorities are as follows:
- Prevention & Shelter Diversion.
- Housing Services.
- Client Support Services.
- Capital Investment Projects.
Eligible Applicants
Eligible recipients for Indigenous Homelessness funding include:
- Not-for-profit organizations;
- For-profit organizations (may be eligible provided that the nature and intent of the activity is non-commercial; not intended to generate profit; based on fair market value; in support of program priorities and objectives; and in line with the community plan (or with identified local need where community plans are not required);
- Indigenous organizations (Indigenous organizations may include, but are not limited to, incorporated for-profit and not-for-profit Indigenous controlled organizations, Indigenous controlled unincorporated associations, Indian Act Bands, Tribal Councils and Indigenous self-government entities); and,
- Municipalities.
Please note: Where feasible, preference will be given to Indigenous organizations to deliver projects specifically targeting off-reserve Indigenous people who are homeless or at-risk of homelessness.
How to Apply
- Prepare your application package, which will include:
- An application form: Application Form for Projects (PDF file)
- Letters of support from the community, if any;
- Budget negotiation notes: Budget Negotiation Notes (XLS File)
- Sustainabilty checklist: Sustainability Checklist & Guide for Applicants of Capital Development Project (PDF file)
- Application Guide: Application Guide (PDF file)
All inquiries and application submissions are to be directed to Heather Mehmet, Project Officer at the Labrador Friendship Centre.
Heather Mehmet
hmehmet@labradorfriendshipcentre.ca
Tel. 709-896-8302, ext. 222
Operational Sub-projects
First Light's Indigenous Housing Team, St. John's
We will assist Indigenous women facing homelessness, determining the type of housing and supports the individual or family needs including cultural supports.
Qalipu Mi'kmaq First Nation Band
We will maintain support networks through transportation for our housing-compromised clientele.
Newfoundland Aboriginal Womens Network
We will assist Indigenous women facing homelessness, determining the type of housing and supports the individual or family needs including cultural supports.
Ktaqmukuk Hub for Rural Homelessness, Flat Bay Band Inc.
Using a community sustainability approach, we will identify Mi’kmaq experiencing or at risk of homelessness and connect them with immediate support, home band services, and other referrals.
Ne'ata'q Place
This project enhances shelter supports for women and children experiencing homelessness or housing instability through 24-hour staffing and lower-barrier, Housing First-aligned services. Located in Bay St. George, the shelter provides culturally responsive, trauma-informed support to Indigenous women and children, including those facing mental health, safety, and substance use challenges.
Libra House Inc.
The Supportive Housing Manager position at Libra House to assist women and children transitioning from second-stage housing into safe, stable, and affordable permanent housing. Services include case management, housing search support, landlord liaison, referrals to community resources, and life skills development to help prevent homelessness and support long-term housing stability.
HVGB Housing and Homelessness Coalition Inc.
Labrador Friendship Center Acquisition of an Indigenous-Led Housing and Land-Based Service Delivery Space. Indigenous-led homelessness prevention and Housing First supports by assisting Indigenous individuals and families to obtain and maintain safe, permanent housing. Activities include housing navigation and placement, individualized case management, prevention and shelter diversion services, housing retention supports, and culturally grounded programming that promotes wellness, identity, and long-term housing stability.
NunatuKavut Community Council Inc.
NunatuKavut Inuit individuals and families at imminent risk of homelessness through prevention and shelter diversion services, housing stabilization supports, and systems navigation. The Housing Stability & Prevention Navigator will assist clients in securing and maintaining safe, stable housing while connecting them to appropriate housing, income, and community support services.
Acquisition of an indegenious-led Housing and Land-Based Service Delivery Space
Indigenous-led homelessness prevention and Housing First supports by assisting Indigenous individuals and families to obtain and maintain safe, permanent housing. Activities include housing navigation and placement, individualized case management, prevention and shelter diversion services, housing retention supports, and culturally grounded programming that promotes wellness, identity, and long-term housing stability.
Funded by the Government of Canada’s Reaching Home Program and administered by the Labrador Friendship Centre