Indigenous Support
FAST - The First Nation Action & Support Team (FAST) program is administered by Gitxsan Health Society to service the communities of Kispiox, Sik-e-dakh, Gitanmaax, Gitsegukla, Gitwangak, Gitanyow, Hagwilget, Moricetown, Kitsumkalum, Kitselas, and Gitxaala. What you can expect from FAST:
- Follow-up contact if you have been to the hospital with suicidal thoughts or actions
- To provide support and/or assist with finding resources to ensure assistance for anyone who has been affected by the loss of a loved one thru suicide
- Referral services to community programs and services
- Set up and Co-ordinate Grief & Loss community Workshops
- Set up and facilitate Through the Pain community Workshops
First Nations and Inuit Hope for Wellness Helpline - If you're experiencing emotional distress and want to talk, contact the toll-free Hope for Wellness Help Line at 1-855-242-3310 or the online chat at hopeforwellness.ca open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
- Experienced and culturally safe Help Line Counsellors can help if you want to talk, are distressed, have strong emotional reactions, and/or are triggered by painful memories.
- The Hope for Wellness Help Line offers immediate mental health counselling and crisis intervention to all Indigenous peoples across Canada. Phone and chat counselling is available in English and French. On request, phone counselling is also available in Cree, Ojibway, and Inukitut.
Quality palliative care helps you honour your culture, spirituality and traditions. At Living My Culture, people from various cultures share their stories and wisdom about living with serious illness, end of life and grief to support others. Perspectives include First Nations, Inuit, Métis, Chinese, Ethiopian, Filipino, Indian, Iranian, Italian, Pakistani and Somali.
First Nations Health Authority
Indian Residential School Survivor's Society - The IRSSS provides many different kinds of support including grief and loss, trauma, crisis, and family counselling, a 24/7 Crisis Support Line, art therapy, alternative healing therapy, basic life skills coaching, educational workshops, traditional healing methods and medicines and more. For more information on their services, click here.
KUU-US Crisis Line Society - A First Nations and Indigenous specific crisis line available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, toll-free from anywhere in British Columbia. KUU-US Crisis Line can be reached toll-free at 1-800-588-8717. Alternatively, individuals can call direct into the Youth Line at 250-723-2040 or the Adult Line at 250-723-4050.
Metro Vancouver Indigenous Services Society - MVISS stands with our healthy, thriving, urban Indigenous community inherently connected to our ancestral visions, grounded in diverse cultural knowledge & practices living in harmonious balance to celebrate each other’s gifts.
Saa'ust Centre - The Saa’ust Centre offers services and supports to families and survivors of MMIWG. It is an LGBTQ2S safe space and respects an individual’s family of the heart. Supports include:
- Referrals to counselling services both on and off site
- Statement-taking for those already registered with the inquiry
- Ceremonies, drumming, and cultural activities from across Turtle Island
- Prayer space and access to Elders and Knowledge Keepers
- Silk screening, beading, and medicine pouch and button blanket making among other art programs
South Vancouver Neighborhood House Monthly Grief & Loss Circles
- A monthly Zoom meeting.
- A safe and trusting space to share the journey of those who have moved on.
- To reflect, pray, drum, and sing together.
- To know that you are not alone and there are others holding space for you to share your grief and heal through the loss.
- Anyone outside of South Vancouver can join.