It can be hard enough for students with a strong support system to navigate their way through the post-secondary system, what with non-stop deadlines, packed schedules and difficult course content to learn. But since many of Mount Royal's students come from Calgary or nearby, most have family and friends to lean on when times get tough.
Indigenous students, especially Indigenous students with children, face an even more difficult road when trying to earn a degree. Indigenous learners often come from rural areas far from Calgary, and report greater levels of loneliness and isolation than non-Indigenous students do. In addition, there are many obstacles limiting access to safe, affordable and year-round housing. For Indigenous learners, existing stereotypes and biases often translate to a reluctance on the part of landlords to rent living space off campus. On campus, it's just not feasible for these sorts of students to have to leave their home on campus for a third of every year (in between the fall and winter semesters).
The only program of its kind in Canada, Mount Royal's Indigenous Housing Program (IHP) was created specifically for members of Canada's Indigenous population, both singles and those who are raising families. The IHP, which is run through the Iniskim Centre, helps these students succeed at their studies by providing a solid support network and access to housing, campus amenities and cultural connections.
Debbie Crazyboy of the Piikani First Nation is an education student who will graduate this June and lives in a family unit with her three daughters. She says stable housing has been pivotal to her success, as she is able to get to classes easily and study at the library whenever she is able. Plus, her costs have been literally cut in half.
"I got into housing three years ago and it came at a time I really needed it," Crazyboy says. "I was so grateful for this opportunity. It was a very selective process. Almost 30 students applied for the same house, so I was very humbled to find out that my family had been chosen. Everything went up for us; it was a real pivotal point in my life. My self-esteem and self-advocacy increased and I definitely became more confident in my studies."
