News & Updates

The St. John's Housing and Homelessness Sector lost a great ally in October 2021. Andrew Harvey, Director of Housing and Social Supports at First Light St. John's Friendship Centre passed away suddenly, leaving a wave of shock and sadness in our community.

Andrew, originally from Nova Scotia, was a social worker, a dad, a strong Mi'kmaq man and an admired leader. He was involved in many housing initiatives, including Homeshare, several homeless shelters, HIFIS, and most recently, he... Read more.

In Memory of Jonathon (Lukie) Karpik & Frederica Benuen:

https://www.cbc.ca/newsinteractives/features/homeless-happy-valley-goose-bay

Indigenous communities across Canada often face critical housing shortages, and the Mi'kmaq of Newfoundland are no exception. The Flat Bay Band's No'kmaw Village Tenants Strategy helps people with lived experience craft strategic housing plans that will allow more Mi'kmaq to return home.

https://centre.support/affordable-housing-strategy-hopes-to-bring-mikmaq-back-home/

Call for Proposals 2021

• Approximately $1.1 million in incremental funding has been awarded to the Labrador Friendship Centre to allocate through the Reaching Home Indigenous NL project.
• Federally funded and administered through the Labrador Friendship Centre
• Provincial in scope
• Serving off-reserve Indigenous people, regardless of their status or origin, who are experiencing homelessness or at risk of experiencing homelessness in Newfoundland and Labrador

The Regional Advisory Board (RAB) is now issuing a Call for Proposals available for capital projects and/or services to reduce homelessness for Indigenous people to March 31, 2022.

For more information visit our Call for Proposals page.

RHINL is saddened by the recent death of Clifford Young, a valued advisor to our project and a member of the Flat Bay community. Please join our Regional Advisory Board in acknowledging his life and his generous spirit. Clifford offered his story to our Reaching Home Indigenous NL Regional Advisory Board; it was his way to help others who might suffer as he had.

In his words, "Home is where you feel safe, secure and not threatened. Where you don't feel you have to get out. Electricity and... Read more.

This webinar from the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness (CAEH), respects Indigenous peoples' histories and that what is termed homelessness or transience may also be observed as displacement from homeland or home ways of living. Substitute 'park' with the various terms people use for where people are living at the edge of town, also known as 'roughing it'. It is challenging to know what words to use, perhaps the experience is not to be easily categorized!

More people than ever... Read more.

This webpage from Ottawa's Tungasuvvingat Inuit has videos with very specific Inuit knowledge pertaining to urban Inuit life. Although this is from Ottawa, it gives us an opportunity to consider — what is the Inuit experience in a hub such as Happy Valley — Goose Bay? In St. John's? elsewhere in the province?

https://www.tungasuvvingatinuit.ca/urban-inuit-knowledge-centre/

This film from NCCIE (National Centre for Collaboration on Indigenous Education) features our RAB member, Andrew Harvey of First Light. He speaks about Indigenous Men's Programming which is a fundamental need across our province.

https://www.nccie.ca/story/first-light-native-friendship-centre-andrew-harvey/

The National Centre for Collaboration in Indigenous Education (NCCIE.CA) connects communities with each other to share stories about Indigenous education across Canada and around the world.

Good news from Flat Bay's Ktaqmukuk Hub for Homelessness & Rural Housing, a project which Reaching Home Indigenous NL funded in a round of Covid 19 Emergency Response Funding this spring:

Clifford Young, is a valued advisor to the Reaching Home Indigenous NL Regional Advisory Board and is benefitting from Flat Bay's services. Liz LaSaga, CEO of Flat Bay Band Inc. and RHINL RAB member, is overseeing a pilot project in Flat Bay whereby a duplex will be built for Clifford and another community member who has been homeless. She describes listening to Clifford as to certain design features that would help make him comfortable. Recently, Clifford raised the issue of needing something to care for as a good way to support his mental health. Ktaqmukuk Hub bought a kitten and the supplies for Clifford, and you can see the joy that has brought him.

Zoom Information Session #2 pertaining to the Reaching Home Indigenous NL Call for Proposals.

* Application deadline is 4:00 PM November 19, 2020.

The second Zoom session is scheduled for:

OCTOBER 27, 2020
9:30 AM - 11:30 AM Labrador Time
10:00 AM - 12:00 Newfoundland Time

You are invited to a roundtable discussion about Indigenous housing and homelessness. Discussion topics include sharing experience and vision for projects; information specific to the Reaching Home program; opportunities to forge partnerships; assistance with the application process; sharing of success stories, and the priorities and needs that the Reaching Home Indigenous NL Regional Advisory Board have identified.

Please contact Tracey Doherty at the Labrador Friendship Centre to book your Zoom spot:

Tel.: 709-896-8302
Email: tdoherty@lfchvgb.ca