Hi. My name is Linda Roy Makiuk. I work as an administrative technician for the client services of the KMHB office. I'm also the ambassador for the Pivallianiq program.
The Inuit of Nunavik were nomadic for thousands of years, living in tents and igloos. The people survived one of the harshest climates on the planet by being ingenious with their hunting, fishing, and trapping skills and through strong leadership. They did what they had to do to survive and to take care of their families.
In 1998 the Kativik Regional Government and the Quebec government signed a framework agreement concerning the Kativik region, which included the establishment of a housing management structure that was to reflect the reality of the region. This was to be named the “Kativik Municipal Housing Bureau”. The KMHB's 2015 housing needs survey determined that there were 3,912 individuals or families who lived in 2,884 social housing units. According to Statistics Canada, Nunavik suffers from the worst overcrowding situations in Canada.
The KMHB was the first out of the more than 500 housing bureaus in Quebec to operate at the regional level. The KMHB's board of directors is composed of up to seven members chosen from the region to represent the concerns of the municipalities, the tenants, and the socio-economic groups. The SHQ wanted the KMHB to function like any other housing bureau in Quebec, but it soon became apparent that in almost all aspects the KMHB had to be different, because social housing in Nunavik was different.
The KMHB has about 150 employees, of which more than 75% are Inuit.
Since 2000, the KMHB has added over 1,400 units to its stock due to various housing agreements with Canada and Quebec, for a total of 3,144 housing units in Nunavik.