Table of contents:

1. Mental health resources specific to Indigenous communities

Things to note:

• The following list details state-funded and community resources available to Indigenous folks who are struggling with mental illness or trauma. We should acknowledge that these state institutions are often the systems that created this trauma in the first place.
• British Columbia was created through the violent displacement of Indigenous communities from their territories, and today the state continues to suppress Indigenous resistance and uphold colonial law. These systems were never designed to accommodate non-Western ways of knowing and being, so I’m cognizant of the fact that the state-run resources below can be oppressive and inaccessible despite catering to Indigenous communities specifically.
• In the coming days, I hope to add more non-state resources that are run by and for Indigenous communities, but I’m not quite there yet!

2. Health Benefits

• Health Benefits for First Nations and Inuit People in Canada
• Health Benefits for First Nations and Inuit People in BC

3. For Residents New To Vancouver

• Lu'ma: A Guide to Aboriginal Resources in Greater Vancouver
• General Practitioners: looking for a GP for general health needs?
• Victim Services: Trigger warning: engaging with the VPD

4. Urban Native Youth Association (UNYA):

A community non-profit which empowers Indigenous youth through low-barrier access to health, safety, and recreational services.

• Native Youth Health & Wellness Clinic: providing culturally-relevant, welcoming, accessible health and wellness services to Indigenous youth from ages 12 to 30.
• UNYA Clinical Counsellors: providing individual and group counselling for Indigenous youth aged 13-24, as well as Naloxone training and conflict resolution and mediation
• Young Bears Lodge: a live-in program providing culturally-based, holistic healing for Indigenous youth looking to change their relationship with drugs or alcohol

5. Lu’ma Native Housing Society