Aboriginal Services
Safe, community-based homes honoring cultural diversity, traditions and customs
A life lived in the face of a disability does not discriminate. An injury, an accident, a tragic life situation can strike anyone at anytime. There is no prejudice and no bias. A disabled person deserves the same fundamental rights and privileges, regardless of their age, skin color, ethnicity, gender or social status. Despite their disability - their culture, traditions and way of life should be honored; their customs celebrated.
Kootenay Lodge has been designed with this in mind. Designed to provide safe, supported, community-based housing for homeless Aboriginal people. These individuals with severe disabilities who, with the lack of culturally sensitive programs available, would end up homeless and without access to treatments and services.
Kootenay Lodge
Kootenay Lodge is an innovative and vital housing program serving the most vulnerable and at-risk Aboriginal clients. Kootenay Lodge provides specialized housing for homeless Aboriginal adults who live with severe disabilities. The goal is to divert these vulnerable adults from living on the street where they face extreme physical, psychological and emotional risks and from costly emergency care related to their disabilities.
Providing continuous staff support, Kootenay Lodge offers access to medical care and specialized facilities intended to assist residents in stabilizing their health, providing emotional healing, offering personal skill development and assisting with meaningful connection to family, community and employment.
Eligible individuals for Kootenay Lodge include:
- Aboriginal individuals with a history of serious addictions and physical disabilities
- Aboriginal individuals who are chronic users of shelters
- Aboriginal individuals who are living on the street
Kootenay Lodge provides access to community-based services as it pertains to vocational rehabilitation. Services include activities that strengthen emotional and physical health (i.e. counseling, medical treatment), support for recovery from addictions, reconnection to family, as well as opportunities for recreation and community involvement.
Many clients of Kootenay Lodge are survivors of abuse and neglect, have become alienated from family & community and have a history of serious addictions and physical health complications. These clients come to this program with complex needs that require innovative, skilled and compassionate responses.
The Calgary Foundation has granted URSA some funds to work on development of a Volunteer Manual, development of an addictions awareness course and development of an aboriginal awareness workshop for staff, volunteers and residents at Kootenay Lodge.
URSA is grateful for the support of The Calgary Foundation.
Mainstream housing and health care programs cannot meet the special needs of this population due to cultural, social, physical and capacity barriers
Kootenay Lodge employs a wholistic approach to serving this vulnerable population. Locally and nationally, the Aboriginal community experiences much higher than average rates of injury and consequent disability. This is reflective of extremely high rates of poverty, inadequate housing, geographic isolation from medical facilities and addictions related to abuse, neglect, trauma and the negative impacts of inter-generational marginalization.
The Kootenay Lodge program consults with and is educated by the Medicine Wheel and will provide support and services that address the physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual needs of residents. The program is shaped by historical and cultural factors that have created the lives and experiences of its residents.