Aboriginal peoples are over-represented in the Canadian corrections system. When released, they face challenges. Many return to the communities where their friends and family are but have few housing, educational, and employment opportunities, and have difficult choices to make. This participatory research study included interviews with 30 Aboriginal men who had done jail time and had lived in the downtown core of a major Canadian prairie city. It revealed five overlapping themes describing the experience of being released, getting by, finding a community that would receive them, staying out of jail, and trying to get ahead. The results indicate that there is a gap in services for Aboriginal men who have done jail time, and that housing models to meet this need should be developed with the input of residents in local communities.

Aboriginal families are highly overrepresented in child welfare caseloads. Major reasons for these high rates of involvement include poverty and housing issues, which contribute to perceptions of child neglect. In Winnipeg, the city with the highest proportion of Aboriginal peoples in Canada, low-cost housing is concentrated in core neighbourhoods. Homeless youth in these neighbourhoods, who are involved or have been involved in child welfare, were asked about their life experiences and the kind of housing that would help them. They talked about the need to be seen as resourceful, contributing members of the community, as well as their continued need of support from others, including friends and family. They wanted more than a place to sleep; they wanted a home that was safe, nurturing and long-term. The youth had school and work aspirations for themselves and wanted to help other youth reach their goals. There is a need for expansion of community-based and community-driven housing with youth who have been involved in the child welfare system.