EDMONTON (CBC) - Métis people in Alberta can now apply for a $20,000 dollar grant to help them with a down payment on a home, the Métis Urban Housing Corporation announced Friday in Edmonton.

"It puts people in a position to get them out of the rental business and into home ownership and there's a lot of them that are very qualified to do exactly that," said executive director Darlene Lennie.

"They get stuck in coming up with the down payment and now we have a solution for that."

The Alberta government is funding the initiative. A maximum $20,000 grant will be provided to families who meet the right criteria, and can be used for a down payment or home repairs.

The Métis Urban Housing Corporation [MUHC] is now the largest urban aboriginal not-for-profit housing corporation in Canada, housing almost 3,000 tenants in 881 units across Alberta - 416 in Edmonton, 249 in Calgary, with the rest in 12 other towns and cities.

Friday's announcement comes on the organization's 25th anniversary.

Rheanna Sand, a fourth year PhD student in molecular biology at the University of Alberta, credited MUHC with giving her a stable childhood.

Growing up in a single parent family with three children, Sand moved frequently until she was seven or eight years old, when the family moved into a MUHC house in Edmonton.

"It really settled us down. I just remember the rent problem going away," she said.

"We ended up staying in the same house for, you know, 15 years. Being in the same neighbourhood, going to the same schools, and hanging out with the same kids, really just gave me a sense of community and a sense of belonging."

Lennie said demand for affordable housing is growing in Alberta. A waiting list currently includes 600 families.

"It is a long wait," she said. "Two years at a minimum."

Lennie said it is almost impossible to meet all the housing needs in the Métis community, but said the organization is working hard to do its best.

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