Wiigiwaaminaan winter shelter to help Indigenous Londoners

Atlohsa Family Healing Services is again partnering with St. Joseph's Health Care London to operate a temporary shelter space for Indigenous people experiencing homelessness as winter approaches.

The Wiigiwaaminaan Winter Response program will be an Indigenous-led shelter site at Parkwood Institute using land that backs on to Westminster Ponds.

But for those who will start moving in as early as next week, the shelter is much more than just a place to go to get out of the cold, said Terri King, the program manager at Atlohsa, an organization in southwestern Ontario that tries to strengthen the community through Indigenous-led programs and services.

Atlohsa's approach is rooted in the Seven Sacred Grandfather Teachings and the Medicine Wheel Teaching.

"A lot of the folks that we support haven't had a hug in a long time, or they haven't had an environment where they've really just felt unconditional love," King said. "I think what's really important and really special about this response is that we can provide that atmosphere for healing and connection back to culture."

The stand-alone building will have room to house 18 people. The building is equipped with bedrooms, as well as laundry, kitchen and bathroom facilities. It also includes functional spaces for meetings, healing circles and the delivery of social and mental health services. A teepee has also been set up behind the building, and there will be fire ceremonies for those who live there.

"Last year we supported a total of 38 people, and the successes that we've seen with a large number of those individuals was enormous," King said.

"We had people come in with really challenging behaviours who have not been able to access shelters in the city, and over a short period of time with us, within a couple of weeks, we saw those really challenging behaviours start to dissipate." 

Last year's shelter at Parkwood Institute included trailers. The shelter was created after a suspicious fire in November 2021 at the River Road Golf Course, where the original Indigenous-led shelter was supposed to be located.

"Of the 38 folks that stayed with us last year, I think 17 or 18 of them went into their own permanent housing or were reunited with family members," King said. "We also saw participants gain employment, go back to school, we had one participant enter into rehab. Those are the successes that we hope to see again this year." 

Wiigiwaaminaan funding was approved by London's city council for two years, so the shelter won't have to shut down at the end of March as it did last year, said Andrea Jibb, Atlohsa's director of community planning.

"We might not necessarily be at Parkwood for those two years, but the approval of funding is fantastic news. It means that we can build a culturally safe approach to Indigenous people experiencing homelessness," she said.

"Last year it was very challenging to send folks back to living outdoors after four months. It was challenging for the folks and for our staff and the community, but this year we have a much longer time frame to work with." 

Anne Armstrong is the executive director of London Cares, which works with the city on finding solutions to homelessness.