Skip to Content
Close Alert Banner

RMWB Logo RMWB Logo

Contact Us Mobile Site Menu
Contact Us
  • Business and Development
    • Procurement
    • Business Services and Support
    • Development and Planning
    • Downtown Revitalization
    • Flood Mitigation
    • Maps
    • Permits and Resources
    • Safety Codes Permits
    • Waterfront Park Revitalization
  • Bylaw and Animal Services
    • Animal Services
    • Backyard Hens Pilot Project
    • Bylaws
    • Community Standards
    • Parking
    • Report an Issue
    • Automated Traffic Enforcement
    • Taxi Cabs
  • Community Services and Social Support
    • Cemeteries
    • Equity and Inclusion
    • Grants and Funding
    • Homelessness and Housing
    • Seniors' Services and Programs
    • Social Support Services
    • Victim Services
  • Employment
    • Current Opportunities
    • Firefighter and Paramedic Recruitment
    • Human Resources
  • Events and Involvement
    • Boards and Committees
    • Event Permits
    • Events
    • MACOY
    • Participate Wood Buffalo
    • Townhalls
    • Wood Buffalo Volunteers
  • Fire, Police and Emergency Services
    • 9-1-1
    • Fort Chipewyan Community Update
    • Emergency Alerts
    • Emergency Medical Services
    • Emergency Preparedness
    • Fire Codes and Permits
    • Fire Departments
    • Fire Prevention and Safety
    • FireSmart
    • Royal Canadian Mounted Police
    • Vulnerable Persons Registry
  • Garbage, Recycling and Disposal
    • Garbage & Recycling Services
    • Landfill
    • Soil Disposal
  • Indigenous and Rural Communities
    • Anzac
    • Conklin
    • Draper
    • Fort Chipewyan
    • Fort Fitzgerald
    • Fort McKay
    • Fort McMurray
    • Gregoire Lake Estates
    • Janvier
    • Saprae Creek Estates
    • Rural Bus Schedules and Fees
    • Truth and Reconciliation
  • Mayor, Council and Administration
    • Accountability and Transparency
    • Boards and Committees
    • Bylaws
    • Contact Us
    • Council
    • Elections
    • Mayor
    • Plans, Reports and Studies
    • Policies
  • Parks and Recreation
    • Parks and Facilities Map
    • Communities in Bloom
    • Community Cleanup
    • Community Gardens
    • Community Rinks
    • Culture, Heritage & Public Art
    • Facility Rentals
    • Off-Highway Vehicles
    • Parks, Trails and Green Spaces
    • Trees
  • Property Taxes
    • Assessments
    • Change of Address Form
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Non-Profit Organization Tax Exemptions
    • Paying Property Taxes
    • Property Tax Sale
    • Rural Small Business Tax Class
    • School Support
    • Tax Rates
    • Tax Refund Requests
  • Pulse
  • Roads and Construction
    • Automated Traffic Enforcement
    • Construction Map
    • Construction Projects
    • Draper Slope Stability Reports
    • Parking
    • Route/Haul Permits
    • Snow Plowing and Removal
    • Street Sweeping
    • Winter Roads
  • Transit
    • Advertising
    • Bike and Ride
    • Fares and Passes
    • Routes and Schedules
    • Rural Bus Schedules and Fees
    • Safety and Etiquette
    • School Transit Service
    • Specialized Transit
    • Statutory Holidays Schedule
    • Transit News and Alerts
    • Transit Data Feed
  • Utilities and Water
    • Billing
    • Bulk Water
    • Change of Address Form
    • Commercial Services
    • Fat, Oil and Grease
    • Open or Close a Utility Account
    • Responsible Sewer Use
    • Rural Water & Sewer Service
    • Sewer Backups
    • Water Conservation
    • Water Metering
    • Water Quality
  • Open new window to share this page via Facebook Facebook
  • Open new window to share this page via Twitter Twitter
  • Open new window to share this page via LinkedIn Pinterest
  • Open new window to share this page via LinkedIn LinkedIn
  • Email this page Email

Tawâw project creates tri-party partnership to provide Indigenous housing

Email icon Back to News

Council of the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo allocated more than $1.1 million from the 2020-2021 Community Plan on Homelessness (CPH) to Wood Buffalo Wellness Society for the Tawâw project, a tri-party partnership between Wood Buffalo Wellness Society (WBWS), McMurray Métis and Wood Buffalo Housing (WBH) to create access to 22 beds for homeless Indigenous individuals and families. The funding was received from the Federal government as part of the second round of COVID-19 funding for the Reaching Home initiative.

Tawâw Housing First Partnership

The Tawâw (pronounced ta-WOW in Cree, meaning “come in,” “welcome”) Housing First Partnership is an innovative collaboration drawing upon the expertise, experience and networks of three established community organizations to create rapid access to 22 beds for homeless Indigenous individuals and families. The project will convert units owned by WBH into transitional and supportive housing spaces. Services will also be clustered under the leadership of McMurray Métis and the WBWS to serve residents. As self-sufficiency is achieved, residents will transition to other nearby WBH units, but will remain members of the community as they continue to draw upon services and support others on the path to self-sufficiency.

Quote from Mayor Don Scott
“The Tawâw project unites three key community organizations in an effort to tackle homelessness. I want to thank our partners for coming together to develop a program that will keep our most vulnerable population safe during this pandemic while bringing us closer to achieving our goal to eliminate chronic homelessness in our region.”

Quote from Joy Flett, Chair of Homelessness Initiatives Strategic Committee
“The Tawâw Housing First Partnership brings together expertise and resources from three established organizations to create a unique, culturally sensitive environment to assist residents transitioning from lives of addiction, intergenerational trauma, impaired educational and employment outcomes, marginalization and hopelessness into a place of support, dignity, structure, community and cultural pride. By combining housing and services in one space, the project will help individuals and families achieve self-sufficiency.”

Reaching Home initiative
The Reaching Home initiative is a community-based program aimed at preventing and reducing homelessness. It provides direct funding to communities across Canada to support their efforts in developing local solutions to homelessness.

Homelessness in RMWB during the pandemic

During the pandemic, agencies that receive funding from the Community Plan on Homelessness housed a total of 85 individuals, an increase of 56 per cent from last fiscal year. Since May 2020, CPH programs have led to a 10 per cent reduction in chronic homelessness. As of December 10, 2020, there are 51 individuals awaiting placement in a housing program with 32 of those individuals identifying as Indigenous.

Visit our website for more information on housing and homelessness in our region.

Subscribe to page updates
Email iconSubscribe

Contact us

Services
  • A
  • B
  • C
  • D
  • E
  • F
  • G
  • H
  • I
  • J
  • K
  • L
  • M
  • N
  • O
  • P
  • Q
  • R
  • S
  • T
  • U
  • V
  • W
  • X
  • Y
  • Z

Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo footer logo

Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo
9909 Franklin Avenue
Fort McMurray Alberta T9H 2K4

Phone: 780-743-7000
Toll free: 1-800-973-9663

Subscribe to News

Stay up to date on RMWB news,
programs and operations
by subscribing to our news categories.

Subscribe

Social Media

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn

Website Resources

  • Access to Information and Privacy
  • Pay Bills Online
  • Sitemap
  • Social Media
  • Website Feedback

Copyright © 2022

Designed by eSolutionsGroup

Close Old Browser Notification
Browser Compatibility Notification
It appears you are trying to access this site using an outdated browser. As a result, parts of the site may not function properly for you. We recommend updating your browser to its most recent version at your earliest convenience.