Providing adequate housing for 1000 residents can be a challenging task without an effective policy in place, and so, in 2015, the forward-thinking Chief and Council in Garden River implemented a new, comprehensive housing policy.

The new policy, designed to increase collection rates, improve construction and maintenance and build trust between tenants and the housing department, would require a dedicated staff to implement it. Garden River had a strong core to begin with and added two more positions: a Housing Tenant Relations Officer and a Construction Maintenance Worker.

Through the dedication of the Housing Department staff and with the increasing support of tenants, Garden River has been able to achieve a 97% rent collection rate as well as reducing arrears significantly.