In late 2021, as part of our commitment to supporting healthy people and strong communities, United Way East Ontario partnered with the Robbie Dean Family Counselling Centre and the Circle of Turtle Lodge to fund a community needs analysis regarding culturally specific mental health and substance use supports for the urban-Indigenous community in Renfrew County.
The analysis found that 97 per cent of the 144 urban-Indigenous participants reported a serious lack of culturally sensitive, Indigenous–based supports or services in Renfrew County, which as of 2016 holds an Indigenous population of approximately 8,000 people. It noted a vital need for services developed and delivered by Indigenous peoples.
Responding to specific needs in the community
Joanne Haskin is a mental health, addictions and trauma therapist and member of the Indigenous community in Renfrew County. In her work with the Robbie Dean Family Counselling Centre, Joanne noticed a gap where there could be culturally sensitive counselling for urban-Indigenous clients. The community needs analysis only confirmed her suspicions.
“We found that over 50 per cent of that population was not seeking services because there were little to no Indigenous providers, they were feeling the effects of systemic racism and there was no cultural safe space provided.”
There are a variety of reasons why it is necessary for Indigenous people to have access to Indigenous-based and Indigenous-led health services. The primary draw, says Joanne, is the sense of mutual understanding and safety her clients report when accessing supports exclusive to those who identify as Indigenous.
The traditional westernized health care system has a long history of failing Indigenous people by contributing to their ongoing colonization, and consequently, there is a deep distrust of traditional westernized providers within the Indigenous community.
Enter, the Mashkiwizii Manido Project
The Mashkiwizii Manido Project is the only program of its kind in Renfrew County that provides a holistic approach to care. It’s offered in partnership with the Circle of Turtle Lodge with Joanne serving as the program’s director and lead therapist. She provides culturally-specific individual and group counselling support which leverages Indigenous beliefs and healing techniques—combined with current clinical models—focusing on culture, language and land.
The program was tailored for Renfrew County’s Urban-Indigenous population using responses to the analysis supported by United Way through the Emergency Community Support Fund and conducted by the Robbie Dean Family Counselling Centre and The Circle of Turtle Lodge.
“The biggest things they [respondents] wanted were to connect with language, culture and the land. The very things that were taken from the Indigenous population were the very things they wanted to reconnect with the most. That just solidified what my vision has always been: providing support for mental health, addictions, and trauma through connections to culture.”
The impact of culturally specific support
In 2021—its first year of operation—the Mashkiwizii Manido Project was able to facilitate the support of 202 urban-Indigenous people in Renfrew County through individual and group therapy. Joanne is thankful for the initial support from United Way, which opened the door for the program to flourish over the last year.
“I want to say a huge Chi-Miigwetch, which means a big thank you, to United Way for being the first organization there for us in this project. For giving that funding that allowed us to assess what the needs were and piloting this project for us. Without that, this wouldn’t be possible,” says Joanne.
Joanne has approximately 70 local clients that she sees on a regular basis for individual counselling. It has been especially rewarding to see clients who have been through the program and are coming back to volunteer and support new members.
In March 2022, Joanne was finally able to host an in-person day on the land after a long year of virtual meetings. There were nearly 60 attendees. It was a significant moment for clients to connect with one another, the land, and it marked new beginnings for the program.
“On that day on the land everybody got together. They were able to snowshoe together, drum together, sing together, feast together, learn culture together. That connection was so strong it felt like – this has got to get bigger.”
New opportunities for increased support
Along with more funding from United Way to help with one-on-one counselling, the program has recently received funding from the 60’s Scoop Healing Foundation that will allow Joanne to hire staff, creating jobs for urban-Indigenous people in the area.
The Pembroke Mall has donated a 3,700 square foot space in the mall for the program to open an Indigenous hub. This means, most importantly, there will be a dedicated space to gather and celebrate culture. Joanne envisions a safe space where clients can connect with each other and regain the sense of community that was often hard to find during the pandemic.
The opportunities to expand programming are endless. Joanne pictures workshops to help connect with culture to be run out of the space, such as ribbon-skirt crafting, men’s, women’s and youth circles and beading to facilitate connections to culture. A consignment shop displaying the work of local Indigenous artists so that the greater Renfrew community can purchase goods while avoiding cultural appropriation. It’s even possible the program could facilitate access to other healthcare services by bringing in a nurse or dental practitioner to run clinics every so often.
The Mashkiwizii Manido Project is addressing the urgent need for appropriate mental health and substance use supports for urban-Indigenous people in Renfrew County. Through timely and sensitive care and by creating a safe space to foster community, the project has made a significant impact in just one year, and its reach only continues to grow.
