Inventory of Aboriginal Services, Issues and Initiatives in Vancouver: Women

Relevant Details

Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, Juristat, Vol. 26, no. 3 (PDF)

• Aboriginal women at 3.5 times higher risk of violence compared to their non-Aboriginal counterparts (p. 5).
• 21% of Aboriginal people reported experiencing spousal violence in the previous five years, compared to 6% for non-Aboriginal people ....with 25% of Aboriginal females reporting spousal violence in the previous five years compared to 7% for non-Aboriginal women (p. 6).
• Female Aboriginal victims of spousal violence were much more likely to suffer the most severe forms of violence including being beaten, choked, threatened with or had a gun or knife used against them, or sexually assaulted, 54% versus 37% (p. 6, 7).

Public Health Agency of Canada. Family Violence in Aboriginal Communities: An Aboriginal Perspective

• There are no national studies providing information on the prevalence or incidence of family violence in Aboriginal communities.
• A 1989 study by the Ontario Native Women's Association found that 8 out of 10 Aboriginal women in Ontario had personally experienced family violence. Of those women, 87 % had been injured physically and 57 % had been sexually abused.
• In some northern Aboriginal communities, it is believed that between 75% and 90% of women are battered.

Native Women’s Association of Canada – Submission to the Commission on the Future of Health Care in Canada, 2002

• The current health status of Aboriginal women must be ameliorated within a holistic framework which acknowledges the impact of colonization and resultant socio-economic and health determinates, such as: poverty, violence, and substance abuse. Our needs must be addressed in ways which honour our right to self-government and our cultures.
• Life expectancy is 76.2 years vs. 81.0 for non- Aboriginal women.
• Have higher rates of circulatory problems, respiratory problems, diabetes, hypertension and cancer of the cervix.
• Represent a higher percentage of cases of HIV/AIDS than non-Aboriginal women (15.9% vs. 7%). 50% are attributed to IV drug use, in comparison to 17% all female cases.
• Birth rate is twice that of the overall female population. Aboriginal mothers are younger –55% are under 25 (28% for non-Aboriginal) and 9% are under 18 (1% for non-Aboriginal).
• Mortality rate due to violence is three times the rate for all other Canadian women. For Aboriginal women ages 25 to 44, the rate is 5 times that for all other Canadian women.

Who’s Involved?

Helping Spirit Lodge Society (3965 Dumfries Street)

• Provides safe, protective shelter to Aboriginal women and children, holistic educational programs of enhancement, and support and advocacy to Aboriginal people.
• Programs include residential, employment, lifeskills, parenting, and homelessness programs.

Knowledgeable Aboriginal Youth Association (2019 Dundas Street)

• Offers some programs and opportunities to female Aboriginal youth.

Aboriginal Mothers Centre (2019 Dundas Street)

• Based on a grassroots, community approach to building capacity and empowering mothers to become self-sufficient in a non-hierarchical setting.
• Includes child minding, Aboriginal HIPPY / Headstart program, Small Business Development Centre, homelessness initiatives, Community Learning Centre, parenting program, Talking Circle for sex trade workers, library, and free food, clothing, and furnishings when available.

Pacific Association of First Nations Women (96 East Broadway)

• Assists Aboriginal women and their families with health, education, advocacy, and social services including the Aboriginal Health Liaison, Aboriginal Elders Support Program, and culturally appropriate Home Care Services, including respite for foster parents, supervised access, housekeeping, and companionship.

Urban Native Youth Association (1640 East Hastings Street)

• Young Wolves Lodge is a self-referral program for females aged 17 - 24 who are actively working towards positive changes in their life. Staff members help them gain the lifeskills needed to work towards successfully living independently or with their family.
• Aboriginal Youth First Sports & Recreation program which has a large emphasis on recruiting young women into sports and recreation activities.
• Has a focus throughout the organization to ensure young females have access to the resources they require.

Circle of Eagles Lodge Society (1470 East Broadway)

• Anderson Lodge Women’s Shelter which has a mandate to assist and educate homeless women by providing a safe nurturing environment that encourages positive changes and builds inner strength allowing them to achieve their goals.

Sheway - Vancouver Native Health Society (533 East Hastings Street)

• A partnership initiative of government and community.
• Provides comprehensive health and social services to women who are either pregnant or parenting children less than 18 months old and who are experiencing current or previous issues with substance use.
• Offers highly specialized services to a population with highly complex needs. Sheway operates in a client-centered, woman-focused environment where staff work in partnership with a woman as she makes decisions regarding her health and the health of her child.

Aboriginal Wellness Program (255 East 12th Avenue)

• Vancouver Coastal Health, Vancouver Community services.
• Offers Talking Circles for women who are or have experience family violence.

Native Women’s Association of Canada (national)

• Mission is to help empower women by being involved in developing and changing legislation which affects them, and by involving them in the development and delivery of programs.
• An aggregate of 13 Native women’s organizations from across Canada.

Battered Women's Support Services - First Nation's Women's Support & Outreach

• Provides counselling and advocacy services for women who have experienced emotional, physical, sexual or financial violence in relationships.
• Their Aboriginal specific program is provided by a trained Aboriginal women counsellor.

Justice For Girls

• A non-profit organization that promotes freedom from violence, social justice and equality for teenage girls who live in poverty.
• Has a focus on Aboriginal issues, including research.

Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre (302 Columbia Street)

• Mission is to provide for basic needs and to work toward positive change for women and children in the DTES.
• Services include laundry facilities, washrooms and showers, telephone, personal hygiene supplies, healing circles, one-to-one conversations.
• Accessed by local Aboriginal women.

Non-Aboriginal Organizations working with sex trade workers

• PACE, WISH, PEERS, and DAMS.
• Some have Aboriginal workers and/or funding, and work with many Aboriginal people.
• See the ‘Sexual Exploitation’ section for more info.

Aboriginal Community Careers Services Society - Women’s Wellness Day

• Hosts an annual Wellness Day to provide opportunities for low income women to access low cost and free health and wellness services they might not otherwise be able to afford.
• Activities include entertainment, traditional medicine, massage, tarot card reading, arts and crafts tables, and other health related activities.

Women Against Violence Against Women - Aboriginal Outreach Program

• Provides services, educational workshops, information, resources, and referrals.

Battered Women’s Support Services - First Nations Women's Support & Outreach

• Services are available over the phone or in person for women who have experienced violence in relationships.
• All services are provided by trained Aboriginal women counsellor/advocates including Empowering Mother's Parenting Program and Inside the Circle: Empowered by our experiences As Aboriginal Women a Residential School Survivors Support group.

Canadian Heritage - Aboriginal Women's Program

• Objective is to enable Aboriginal women to influence policies, programs, legislation and decision making that affect their social, cultural, economic and political well-being while maintaining their cultural distinctiveness and identity.
• Includes the family violence initiative and the self-government initiative.

Partnerships

• The Aboriginal Mothers Centre, Helping Spirit Lodge Society, and the Pacific Association of First Nations Women recently came together to raise awareness about Aboriginal women’s issues, to find solutions to funding cutbacks, and to lobby for additional focus and funding for Aboriginal women and family issues.

Committees

• None

Trends

• Aboriginal women continue to suffer high rates of poverty, child apprehension, poor health, and many other issues. Many of these issues are attributed to cutbacks to welfare, social services, and a low priority of Aboriginal women’s issues on the national scene.
• Aboriginal women continue to raise children on their own and have children young
• Some young Aboriginal women in Vancouver are learning community development skills that are helping them to participate in decision-making processes in Aboriginal communities.
• Aboriginal women continue to migrate to Vancouver from small towns or First Nations communities in order to flee violence, find work, continue their education, or find better schooling for their children. Unfortunately, many of these women are ill-prepared for the high cost and harsh living environments that they are forced into when arriving. This often leaves them in deep poverty, homeless, with little money for food, or at-risk of having their children apprehended.

Gaps

• There is an overall lack of Aboriginal women in leadership roles in Aboriginal communities. This large gap leads to a minimal focus on issues that affect women’s lives.
• There is an overall lack of community focus on the issues that underlie many of the problems within Aboriginal communities. These issues mostly revolve around the lives of Aboriginal women as they are often left to raise children on their own and are vulnerable to men’s violence. The underlying issues include poverty, family violence, poor housing, and gender bias.
• There is a need for formal and informal leadership development opportunities for young Aboriginal women. Since 60% of the Aboriginal population is under the age of 25, this is a critical issue.
• There needs to be a community focus on violence in intimate relationship, especially for young women and men. Without this, the cycle of violence will continue.

Contact Information
Addresses, phone, fax, email, and website information for any of the organizations above can be found in the Contact Information section of this manual.

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