Mental health supports and resource list

Friendship Centres from coast to coast to coast have been community hubs for urban Indigenous people for over fifty years, providing service to people from all walks of life. The National Association of Friendship Centres (NAFC) deeply appreciates this important work and wanted to share some resources that may be helpful during a particularly difficult week for all Indigenous people.

The discovery of 215 children at the Kamloops Indian Residential School has further unearthed personal and collective grief that Indigenous people are experiencing. Additionally, on June 3, 2021 we saw the release of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People National Action Plan: Ending Violence Against Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People. While this action plan is welcome, we recognize that this topic also may evoke painful emotions in survivors and families.

Mental health supports are vital to ensure that trauma is not life-lasting. As the NAFC greatly values everyone within the Friendship Centre Movement, we wanted to provide some immediate resources that may assist members experiencing hardship in relation to residential schools, the national action plan, and the end of inquest regarding the death of Joyce Echaquan.

If you have any questions about this document, please contact Paige Kezima, Membership Officer: pkezima@nafc.ca.

Resource List:

Residential School Survivors:

MMIWG2S Survivors:

  • Family Survivors Circle
  • National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls’ Toll-free Support Phone Line: 1-844-413-6649

Additional Resources:

Previous
Next