Feds announce $1M for North Bay Indigenous organization

North Bay Indigenous group receives $1M The federal government has announced $1M for an Indigenous organization supporting youth and families in North Bay. Amanda Hicks reports.

The federal government has announced $1 million for an Indigenous organization supporting youth and families in North Bay.

Nipissing-Temiskaming MP Anthony Rota was at Endaayaan Awejaa to make the announcement Friday morning.

"This funding is very important because it allows people on the ground to actually put together a vision and actually have a vehicle on how to get funding from the federal government for new housing," Rota said.

"New housing is something that is important to all of us."

The funding is through the National Indigenous Collaborative Housing Incorporated Program, a two-year, $281 million initiative allocated to 73 projects across the country aimed at building about 3,781 units.

Through the funding, Endaayaan Awejaa will be able to hire six staff members focused on housing and transitional support for 100 youth.

"We're also expanding the services that we have for the youth in the community," said CEO Natasha Lariviere.

"So we hired a youth Systems Navigator that will help the youth navigate systems like education, housing and the justice system in the health care system in providing the ongoing continuing support that we have."

The non-profit grassroots organization was born four years ago in Lariviere's living room, wanting to help as many Indigenous youth as she could.

Endaayaan Awejaa began as a small team of three or four workers handing out winter care packages to youth. Since then, Lariviere said the need for the services has grown.

"We got our first space on Main Street, outgrew that, went next door, outgrew that, and now when this funding became available, you know, we were able to have a bigger community space for our community to come and gather, able to give out more wellness support," she said.

Since 2020, Lariviere estimated more than 300 youth and their families have been helped.

"They're future leaders in the community," she said.

"They are leaders in the community and the youth that come here … to receive support … they see that. And then they're empowered to make changes within themselves and within the community. So it's just a ripple effect that happens."

She added some of the individuals who have been helped have taken on jobs at the organization.

Endaayaan Awejaa is focused on providing arts and culture through reconciliation, harm reduction and education, providing various workshops and services each month.

"We have a call out right now ... for proposals to hire a strategic planning consultant to help us with the development of a strategic plan for the Indigenous Home. So that's a big chunk of the project, too," Lariviere said.

"We're going to be doing Sharing Circles data collection to help incorporate these ideas from the Indigenous youth in our community, what they would like to see incorporated into an Indigenous youth home."

She added a goal of hers is to one day expand services for Endaayaan Awejaa across Canada.