b'ONWA MEMBERSHIP INITIATIVESThe Minwaashin Lodge provides a rangeMany of Minwaashins 60 staff membersSome of the women who received services of services including counselling, culturalhave walked the same journey as thosehave later wanted to volunteer with programming, employment readinesswho are reaching out for services. TheresMinwaashin to help others heal the same Working in Relationship withand a 25-bed emergency shelter for Firsta comfort in knowing that someoneway. Its very empowering, Daoust shares. Nations, Inuit and Mtis families andunderstands their story because theyveWere here to empower the women so they women. Their Sacred Child, STORM (Streetlived it too, Daoust shares. It really reson- know they can do this on their own, that INDIGENOUS WOMEN Team OutReach Mobile), and Transitionalates with the women that are needingthey dont have to remain in a community Support and Housing programs offersupport because . we hear her story, we widespread, lifelong support for survivors ofor remain in a situation that is violent and is intergenerational trauma.understand her story, we know the traumaabusing them on so many levels.thats involved in that story, and we have We accept women from all over the farthe resources to support her in feeling safeFor more information about the Minwaashin north to out west, Daoust says. The catch- and having a safe and healthy life that sheLodge or to donate to support their work, ment area is open for the shelter and heremay not have had previously. please visit www.minlodge.com. as well. Many women will come to Ottawa and theyre not originally from here, but we will definitely support them in whatever it is they need.The STORM program operates six days a week and reaches hundreds of people, providing emergency transportation, crisis intervention and basic harm reduction services to women on the street. The people out on the street know who we are, and they know what we do, and they know when theyre ready, if they want to escape human trafficking, if they want to exit and get away safely, we can help them with that, and we have done that numerous times, Daoust says. We were just funded in the last year for a third STORM unit out on the street because its been such a successful program since 2008, when it was first introduced.According to Daoust, the number of people using the STORM program has tripled since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many want a warm transfer to a shelter where its safe, or to a hospital or to the police, she explains. Wherever they need to go, we are there to do that and assist them.On Monday evenings, Minwaashin also hosts a Drop-In program, which provides food, hygiene products, harm reduction and referrals to services in the Vanier East area of Ottawa from 6 to 8 p.m. As of a couple of weeks ago, I think they were up to 90 people per night, and these people come off the streets, Daoust shares. So thats their first foot in the door to see what kind of services can be offered to them.Minwaashins future goals include a 30-bed family healing lodge for mothers to work on their addictions. In February we were able to resubmit an application, and we are just in the midst of waiting to see if we got the capital funding to build, says Daoust. Its a 30-bed treatment centre that will take in 10 moms and their children, so they will have aunties and they will have kookums Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, 2023|The Heart and /Icon on its own and the heart and /Icon to support the children while Mom doesfollowed by another icon or words are trademarks of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada.her treatment.Ontario Native Womens Association19'