In an effort to combat persistent housing shortages, Millbrook First Nation is empowering its members to build their own homes, with the help of a pilot project that allows mortgages on-reserve for the first time. 

The Mi'kmaw band near Truro, N.S., has around 130 people on a list waiting for a home, according to its director of housing and public works. The band has built more than 30 new houses this year and is diversifying its housing stock with mini homes and duplexes to meet the community's…