The issue of people experiencing homelessness has been a longstanding concern in Canada. As the problem has continued to grow, with a global pandemic compounding on existing structural and historical roots, certain communities have been more acutely affected by this devastating condition.
Amongst Canadians experiencing homelessness, Indigenous Peoples are heavily over-represented. Studies show that urban Indigenous Peoples are 8 times more likely to experience homelessness. Indigenous youth make up over 30 percent of the youth homeless population, while accounting for less than 5 percent of the Canadian population. Additionally, many Indigenous Peoples residing on reserves have substandard living conditions.
These were hard truths for students Ruan Badenhorst, HBA ’23 and Colin Bryan, BE’23.
Over the past few years, they’ve been learning about a variety of issues affecting Indigenous communities stemming from Canada’s colonial history.
“It’s frightening to think that over 12 years of public education, how little information we actually received on how big of a problem this is,” said Bryan.
While many of the problems seem overwhelming, Badenhorst and Bryan thought they might be able to bring together their strengths in business and engineering to play a small part in tackling the issue of homelessness within reserves.
Their new venture, Homeable, is inspired by the work of organizations like Homes for Heroes, and the growing trend in small, modular homes. By helping design and construct collections of 10-15 small homes with partnered Indigenous communities, Homeable hopes to play an active role in keeping communities safe and together.
And they are not alone.
Over the past few years, numerous tiny home projects have been making a big impact in Indigenous Communities with initiatives and organizations like Imagine Builds, Tiny Home Warriors and Piligan Construction to name a few.
Badenhorst and Bryan have estimated that Homeable, through the funding of provincial and federal partners, will be able to build each unit between $60,000-70,000, which is significantly more affordable than any alternative. Homeable units will not only be affordable and quick to make but they will also be designed to withstand harsh Canadian winters.
From Badenhorst and Bryan’s research, nearly every First Nations community in Ontario (over 200) show indications that they would benefit from housing reform and an increased supply of housing for those experiencing homelessness.
Additionally, Homeable can help keep communities together.
One of the testimonies that hit Badenhorst and Bryan hardest came through their roommate Robert Reiners, who is from the Métis Nations with his tribe being the Manitoba Saulteaux. Speaking from his personal experience, Reiners said that many Indigenous People would rather live in tents within their traditional territory than in subsidized houses in urban centres.
Laying the groundwork
While working through the idea, one of Badenhorst’s courses at Ivey included a session on reconciliation with Equity and Inclusion Consultant at Kiinewkwe, Tia Kennedy. Since the lecture, Badenhorst and Bryan have been seeking guidance and direction on how to center Indigenous communities within this process.
We have to find indigenous communities that are willing to trust us… it’s much more difficult for them than it is for us. There’s a long tradition of Canadians mistreating indigenous land.
Colin Bryan, BE’23
A large part of that involves the language and framing around Homeable.
“We have no intention of managing these projects. We want that to be done by the community and for the community,” said Badenhorst.
The land chosen for the small homes will be leased from the community during the building phase, but the project, the land, and the homes will be owned entirely by the Indigenous community.
Part of Homeable’s plan includes setting up an Indigenous Peoples and Trades Initiatives, which will provide funding for training in various trades for young individuals within these communities. Setup through a donation from Homeable, the initiative is also a commitment from Badenhorst and Bryan to the growth and continued success of the communities they will serve.
For Homeable to succeed, there would have to be a coming together of Indigenous communities, and government agencies.
Over the summer, they will be working on finding a community that is open to testing out Homeable as a potential solution. After a community and location are identified, Badenhorst and Bryan will begin the grant process with government agencies. They aim to work with contacts at real estate company, Colliers, to discover best practices in preparing these applications.
Badenhorst and Bryan are under no illusion of the complexity or the timelines involved. Processes for grants and government funding can take months. Yet they are committed to the process and are aware that solutions to longstanding problems don’t come easy.
“These issues aren’t just in the history books, they are here today,” said Badenhorst.
Since developing the concept, Homeable has scored some major wins including 1st place at the Ivey Business Plan Competition, where they also received the Pembroke Asset Management Prize for Social Enterprise.
For Badenhorst and Bryan, the competition was also an opportunity to receive validation on the work have put in so far.
Entrepreneurial beginnings
Bryan has witnessed first-hand the ups and downs of an entrepreneurial career. Bryan’s dad, Scott Bryan, HBA ’92 is a managing partner at Eventi Capital Partners and had run a number of startups before landing in the venture capital space. His work has also inspired and normalized the profession for Bryan, who is eager to continue the family tradition through his own pursuits.
I’ve never seen myself as someone who can sit at a job every day and feel comfortable doing someone else’s work. I much rather do it myself.
For Badenhorst, the moment that really stuck out to him was his first real venture.
In high school, Badenhorst created a lawn care business through the Ontario government’s Summer Company program, which was set up to support youth entrepreneurship through the summer. Coming from Midland, Ontario, Badenhorst took advantage of the vibrant cottage industry and managed lawns so that families escaping the city didn’t have to.
"You don’t want to be doing that on a Friday evening, you want to be enjoying your family time," said Bandenhorst.
After a successful first year, Badenhorst ran the company independently the following summer. He brought that entrepreneurial mindset to Western University where he met Bryan during their first class at engineering at 8:30 a.m. They’ve been close friends ever since.
In the summer of 2021, their constant spitballing of potential business ideas landed on Homeable, where they connected bunkies in cottage country, the small home trend, and the work of organizations like the Homes for Heroes Foundation.
“I’m glad we were able to make it stick with Homeable,” said Badenhorst.
Since that turn, they have been working on refining the idea by taking full advantage of the collaborative environment at Ivey and Western.
If we had just locked ourselves in a room for 6-months and not reached out to anyone, not bounced off ideas from others, or gotten feedback from professors and judges in the competition - we would have slowed down the process.
Ruan Badenhorst, HBA ’23
With Badenhorst and Bryan committed to playing the long game, Homeable has an important few months ahead.
“There needs to be a better solution to this. As Canadians, we’ve long overlooked these issues,” said Bryan. “How do we start to address them in a notable way?”
And to that Homeable might have a small part to play.