In remote First Nations, a teacher or nurse coming from outside the community needs somewhere to live, and federal reviews have found that a shortage of decent staff housing makes it harder to hire and keep them. Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) has a directive on teacherages and lists residences for health professionals as eligible health infrastructure, but its own evaluations say funding for staff housing is often hard to get. Planning staff housing alongside the school or clinic, not after it, is the practical answer.
This post covers what ISC, the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) and federal evaluations say about staff housing, the standards in ISC's teacherage directive, and the decisions on unit mix, furnishing and maintenance your community will need to make. It is general information. Program rules change, so confirm current terms with your ISC regional office before you plan.
Why does staff housing affect recruitment and retention?
ISC's March 2024 Evaluation of the Education Facilities Program found that many First Nations, especially northern and remote communities, "rely on teacherages to attract and retain qualified non-Indigenous teaching staff," specialists and school administrators. It also reported that for some communities, "the availability, proximity and condition of teacherages had limited their ability to hire professionals."
The AFN makes the same point. Announcing its new education infrastructure assessment in September 2026, the AFN said "Adequate teacher housing is essential for recruiting and retaining qualified educators." The assessment covers "395 schools and 1,222 teacherages located on reserve across Canada."
Health staffing shows the same pattern. ISC's 2023 Cluster Evaluation of Health Infrastructure Support for First Nations and Inuit reported that housing shortages have "impacted communities' and health centres' abilities to recruit and retain health care staff." An earlier ISC evaluation of the Clinical and Client Care Program (August 2018) found working conditions were a major factor in nurse turnover, and that these "included concerns related to a variety of issues including facilities and accommodation." Nurses asked for "appropriate accommodation with basic requirements met - like pots and pans for cooking."
Why is teacherage funding hard to secure?
The 2024 evaluation is frank about the gaps. Its findings include:
- Funding "to build, repair and maintain teacherages is not always included in new builds and O&M budgets."
- In some cases "teacherages were not funded as part of school projects in order to maximize the funding allocations" for the school itself.
- Communities "often must choose between funding for a new school or addition and funding for new teacherages."
- "Teacherages are also not considered as a top priority housing project," because housing for community members comes first.
- "Some teacherages were decades old and in need of major repairs."
- "Some First Nation communities use own-source revenues to construct and maintain teacherages."
The evaluation recommended that, for communities that rely on teacherages, ISC "provide dedicated funding for teacherages." In its management response ISC committed to "Review ISC's Teacherages Policy to modernize and provide flexibility to meet First Nations requirements for teacherages," and said it "is working with the AFN to determine the timeline of the Teacherages Policy review." The response also commits to costing for new schools, major renovations and additions "to ensure teacherages costing is included, where teacherages are required." The review's start and end dates were listed as to be determined, so check its status with your region.
The lesson for planning: put the teacherage in the school project from the first needs assessment. If it is left for later, the evaluation suggests it often does not get built. For the capital programs themselves, including the Capital Facilities and Maintenance Program (CFMP), see our partner site's funding guide for First Nations modular buildings.
What does ISC's teacherage directive say?
ISC's list of policies and directives for infrastructure in First Nation communities includes "Level of Service Standards and Management of Teacherages on Reserve," described as "ISC's guidelines for CFMP funding for planning, developing and implementing living accommodations for teachers working at schools on-reserve." The directive itself shows a date modified of 2010-09-15, and ISC has committed to review the policy, so treat the details below as the current written standard that may change.
Key points in the directive:
- Where it applies. Capital funding applies where "the school is located in geographic zone 2, 3 or 4 where suitable living accommodation units are not available" to buy or lease within a reasonable distance. Zone 4 means "no year-round road access to the nearest service centre."
- How many teachers. The number of teachers is based on "a 1:17 teacher/student ratio."
- Space. A maximum gross area is set by number of teachers, starting at 115 m² for one teacher. The chart "is based on 100 m2 for a 2 bedroom facility and 115 m2 for a 3 bedroom facility."
- Furnishing. The department funds "the cost of furniture, furnishings, appliances and their replacement cost based on a regional formula."
- Rent. O&M funding is calculated "less the assumed rental revenues related to teacherages," and the band is responsible for "collection of rent."
- Maintenance. The department funds "the cost of major repairs to the teacherage," while the band assumes "the general maintenance (inside and outside) of the teacherage."
- Occupancy. Where the band manages the units, it signs "an occupancy agreement with teachers and persons living in the accommodation."
- Review. Teacherage requirements are reassessed "at least once every three (3) years."
A more recent document confirms the current funding lines. ISC's Audit of Elementary and Secondary Education and Education Facilities (November 2025) describes the Education Facilities Program funds to "Acquire replace, and repair furniture, equipment, and furnishing for teacherages, federal schools and student residences" and "Operations and Maintenance (O&M) funding for teacherages, student residences and federal schools."
What do health staff residences look like?
ISC's Health Facilities Program lists "residences for healthcare professionals" among the infrastructure it supports, alongside health services buildings, addictions treatment centres and Aboriginal Head Start on Reserve spaces. It says "First Nations and Inuit communities across Canada and related organizations in health service delivery" may be eligible, and directs applicants to their First Nations and Inuit Health regional office. The page was last modified in 2023, so confirm current intake with your region.
ISC's nurse recruitment pages describe what nurses can expect. According to ISC's page on applying for nursing jobs, "Accommodations for Alberta, Manitoba, Quebec and Ontario region will be provided by Indigenous Services Canada," and "Nurses reside in furnished accommodations while working in community." By contrast, "Saskatchewan region does not provide accommodations." ISC's page on living in a First Nations community adds that "Accommodations are often shared with other nurses in the community" and that "Nurses have their own private sleeping quarters, but may share common living space such as kitchen or living room."
That gives a planning model: private bedrooms, shared kitchen and living space, furnished, near the facility. It also tells you to ask early who will provide and manage the accommodation in your region, because the answer differs.
How should you plan the unit mix?
Staff housing serves people with different needs: a single teacher on a one-year contract, a principal with a family, a relief nurse for two weeks, a visiting specialist for three days. Questions for your planning team:
- Singles or families? The teacherage directive counts a teacher's family as eligible and bases its space standard on two- and three-bedroom units. A mix of one-bedroom or bachelor units and a few family units may fit your actual staff better. Ask your region how a different mix would be treated.
- Shared or self-contained? Shared residences with private bedrooms use less space per person, as the ISC nursing pages describe. Self-contained units give more privacy and may help keep staff with families.
- Rotational and visiting staff. A small number of furnished short-stay rooms can house visiting specialists, which may otherwise end up in community homes or the school.
- Location. Housing close to the school or nursing station cuts travel in winter and on-call response times. Consider privacy and security too.
- Growth. If enrolment or health services are expected to grow, plan site servicing so units can be added later.
Who furnishes and maintains staff housing?
Decide this before you build, and write it into the occupancy agreement and your housing policy. For teacherages, the directive splits the work: ISC funds furnishings, appliances and major repairs, and the band handles rent collection and general maintenance. The 2024 evaluation notes that "The O&M for teacherages remains with RO" (the regional office) in the program structure. For health residences, check your contribution agreement.
A practical checklist:
- List every item that comes with the unit: furniture, appliances, linens, kitchenware. Nurses in ISC's evaluation asked for the basics, down to pots and pans.
- Name who replaces each item and on what schedule.
- Set rent, if any, and who collects it. For teacherages, ISC's O&M funding assumes rental revenue.
- Assign routine maintenance, snow clearing and emergency repairs to a named person, and give staff a number to call.
- Inspect units between occupants and record condition, so repairs are caught early.
Staff housing sits empty between contracts and in summer. Plan who checks heat, water and security in vacant units, especially in winter. Our post on running a housing maintenance program on reserve covers inspection routines in more depth.
Where does a builder fit in?
A builder can help you turn your unit mix into plans and a firm price early enough to include in a school or health facility proposal. Ask for options: shared residences, duplexes and single units, so you can compare cost per bed.
Herauf Modular builds homes and community buildings as finished sections indoors in its Saskatchewan and BC plants, then delivers and sets them on site. Every unit meets or exceeds CSA A277 and the National Building Code for climate zones 6 through 8. Most builds are manufactured and delivered in about 16 weeks, with foundations, pads and services prepared on site at the same time. For remote sites, Herauf has built through the off-season and delivered roughly 1,300 km north over the winter ice road to St. Theresa Point First Nation. At Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation, Herauf's rapid portable skid system stays under the home, so the build does not wait on a poured foundation and the unit can be relocated. For more on the remote-site side, see modular housing for remote communities.
If you are planning staff housing for a school or health facility, contact Herauf Modular. We reply to enquiries within one business day.
This guide is general information, not legal or financial advice. Program rules change: confirm the details with the program, your Indigenous Services Canada regional office or CMHC before relying on them. Herauf does not administer any program or apply on a community's behalf.