August 28, 2026
Since 2023, Community Power, a division of Kambo Energy Group, has worked alongside Saik'uz First Nation through multiple stages of its housing improvement journey. What started as one project has grown into a partnership spanning housing upgrades, technical services, project planning and funding support.
That growth reflects something bigger than project delivery. Meaningful housing improvements are built over time, on a foundation of trust, community needs, and the ability to adapt as those needs evolve.
This year, as Saik'uz prepares to move forward with renovations and energy upgrades to 20 homes, the milestone reflects more than the start of another project. It shows what's possible when housing work is approached as a long-term partnership rather than a series of one-off interventions.
"Community Power has been friendly, on time, and has worked within our budget, allowing us to make our funding go further and access other funding resources,” said Lesley Raphael, Housing Coordinator at Saik'uz First Nation.
The relationship began through an initial Multi-Year Housing Upgrade Plan (MYHUP) project, to provide Nation leadership with a clear understanding of housing conditions in their community. Building off the results of that work, Saik’uz housing staff continued to identify housing needs and priorities, and Community Power added capacity where needed. Working at the Nation’s pace, the partnership evolved with a shared ambition to see all homes in Saik’uz made comfortable, safe, healthy, and energy efficient.
That ongoing work included supporting the application to Indigenous Services Canada in May 2025 for renovations and upgrades to 20 homes. Like many funding processes for housing upgrades in Indigenous communities, the path from identifying the work required to receiving a decision required patience and persistence.
While the application moved through the process, the partnership continued: Community Power's operations team began delivering a Technical Services project with the Nation, performing condition assessments on an additional 40 homes and getting a head start planning another round of renovations and upgrades to keep momentum going. The partnership now supports three projects and continues to grow.
"They have been wonderful to work alongside. The communication has been clear and easy, which I’ve really appreciated being new to my role,” said Saik'uz First Nation Housing Manager Desiree Thomas. “I’m thankful for the help and support, and especially for the personable approach when dealing with community members and their home assessments."
Every community has different housing conditions, priorities, capacity, resources and long-term goals. That's why Community Power's work begins with listening and understanding what a Nation wants to accomplish, rather than arriving with a predetermined solution.
From there, Community Power supports Nations at different stages of their housing journey, from assessments and technical services to project planning, funding readiness, implementation, and longer-term housing strategies.
Funding applications can be an important part of that work, but they're only one piece of the process. Funding can be far more meaningfully spent when there is already a clear understanding of community priorities and what it will take to move a project from idea to implementation.
This approach also means staying engaged when timelines stretch or circumstances change. Housing projects can take years to move through the assessment, planning, funding and construction stages. A partner like Community Power, who understands the history behind a project and stays alongside the Nation throughout that process, can help maintain momentum between those stages.
Long-term partnerships also allow each project to strengthen the next. Having the same team return to the same communities, and even the same homes, creates continuity and helps build trust over time. Rather than a new team arriving with each project, familiar faces return with an existing understanding of the homes, local housing conditions, and community needs.
That familiarity can make each home visit easier while allowing technical knowledge, project history, and relationships to carry forward. When a new need or opportunity emerges, the Nation and project team can build on an established foundation rather than starting again from the beginning.
Across more than 15 years of working with Indigenous Nations, Community Power has seen that there is no single pathway to improving housing. Immediate priorities for one Nation might be understanding the condition of its housing stock or moving a project into construction. For another, it could be developing an upgrade plan, identifying funding, or strengthening internal housing capacity. Often, those priorities shift as work progresses.
Community Power's role is to meet Nations where they are and bring the technical expertise, project experience and continuity needed to support where they want to go next.
The partnership with Saik'uz First Nation shows what that looks like over time: one project creating a foundation for another, new opportunities emerging from established relationships, and housing priorities continuing to move forward.
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