Indigenous Hub

The Indigenous Hub

iitaohkanitsini’kotsiiyio’p

Place of Conversation (316-7ave SE)

The Indigenous Hub (the second location of AFCC) at Cross Roads Centre enables the members of Calgary’s urban Indigenous community to participate and access programming, services, and resources from the collective centre and partnering organizations within one single geographical location.

The iitaohkanitsini’kotsiiyio’p Hub provides supports and services to the urban Indigenous community in the following seven areas.

  1. Language and Cultural Programming
  2. Education and Training
  3. Employment Services
  4. Health Services
  5. Women’s Health and Wellbeing Services/Youth Programming
  6. Crime Prevention and Community Reintegration Program
  7. Community Navigator to combat the Opioid Epidemic

The Hub Hours

  • Monday to Fridary: 9 am – 4 pm
  • Closed at lunch (Noon – 1 pm)

All members of Calgary’s urban Indigenous community welcome to drop in.

aboriginal friendship centre of calgary indigenous hub

Thank you to the following for their support

afcc sponsors city of calgary
afcc sponsors united way calgary
afcc sponsors calgary foundation
aboriginal friendship center partners sponsors cps

Our Team

Ernest Poundmaker

aboriginal friendship centre indigenous-hub ernest

Ernest Poundmaker

Language and Culture Programming Coordinator

Ernie is from the Ahtahkakoop First Nations in Saskatchewan and has resided in Calgary the past 43 years.
Ernest has been involved with the First Nations community here in Calgary in a variety of capacities. The majority of his work experiences involved assisting First Nations in Cultural programming, referral services, employment and promoting cross cultural awareness.
Ernest is a fluent Cree speaker and he looks forward to teaching the Cree language to interested participants who wish to connect with their language.
He looks forward to working at the Hub and meeting with the individuals who utilize the services of these agencies.

Henri Giroux

aboriginal friendship centre indigenous hub henri

Henri Giroux

Education and Training Coordinator

She works part time as she also works for Calgary Public Library where she is looking forward the opportunity to incorporate her culture in the programs she delivers. Henri has one child and believes that has helped shape her outlook on the importance of education for Indigenous people. Henri is Woodland Cree from Driftpile First Nations but has made Calgary her home for the last 15 years off and on. Henri has spent the last 10 years working with Indigenous families in a trauma informed capacity.
Henri has given back to the community with volunteer work for various organizations through committee work, advisory work, and being board member for 5 years with the Women’s center. Through this and her work with various agencies in the city, it gives Henri knowledge of community resources for the individuals that will be coming to the Hub.
Working part time Henri’s schedule is every Wednesday/Thursday and every other Friday she can be reached at hgiroux@afccalgary.org

Cara Blood

aboriginal friendship centre indigenous hub cara

Cara Blood

Community Navigator – Opioid Response Program

In response to the Opioid Crisis my position was created to inform, support and when possible mitigate rates of incidence of negative opioid interactions in the urban indigenous community through:

  • Community based awareness sessions and info sessions
  • Facilitate community circles to increase awareness, understanding and support
  • Referrals to Opioid Dependency Clinic, treatment services, and supportive treatment planning
  • Support and advocacy for those struggling with an addiction
  • Engaging wisdom circles to create culturally appropriate plans of action in response to the Opioid Crisis

Learn more about Alberta’s opioid crisis here.

cblood@afccalgary.org

Christina Bird

aboriginal friendship centre indigenous hub christina

Christina Bird

Women’s Health and Wellbeing/Youth Programming

Hello my name is Christina Bird, I am the Women’s Health and Wellbeing/Youth Programming Coordinator, and I am a registered social worker. I am at iitaohkanitsini’kotsiiyio’p as a support for women and youth using a holistic approach in counselling, women and youth events, and community referrals.

Ken Turner

aboriginal friendship centre indigenous hub ken

Ken Turner

Employment Services Coordinator

Assist clients with employment preparation and job search by working with individuals on upgrading their job skills, resume and interview skills or referring to programs and services with partnering agencies that provide further training services to improve employment options and reduce barriers to employment.

Evans Yellow Old Woman

aboriginal friendship centre indigenous hub evans

Evans Yellow Old Woman

Health Services Coordinator

Evans Yellow Old Woman is from Siksika Nation, a member of the Blackfoot Confederacy and descends from the Runs Away Buffalo Clan. His Blackfoot name is Apsipistoo, which means White Owl. He is a Two-Spirit man living and working in Mohkinstsis (Calgary). He is currently the Health Services Coordinator for iitaohkanitsini’kotsiiyio’p Indigenous Hub with the Aboriginal Friendship Centre of Calgary. He has an 8 year old daughter named Teshay. He has worked with youth and the vulnerable population for over ten years, most recently as a Youth Support Specialist with the Alex Youth Health Centre for five years. When not spending time with his daughter he is playing ukulele or volunteering for Voices – Calgary’s Coalition of Two Spirit and Racialized LGBTQIA+ where he is a co-founder and board member.

Billy Gorrell

afcc hub billy

Billy Gorrell

Justice Coordinator and Teamlead

My name is Billy G, I’m the Justice & Recreation Coordinator and the Team Lead for the Aboriginal Friendship Center downtown Hub. Areas that I’m passionate about and have been assigned are crime prevention and community reintegration programs that deliver services and resources for our Indigenous community members navigating the Justice system. Furthermore, I am also pleased to have the opportunity to encourage physical activity for those interested in athletics, fitness or those who are looking for an opportunity to compete in their favorite sport.

From our entire team and myself we welcome you to visit our space at 316 – 7 AVE S.E. to be apart of our growing resources and network of people looking to welcome and serve you as best as we can.

Krista White

Krista White

Culture and Language Coordinator

Photo and Bio to follow.

New opioid crisis supports for Indigenous people

August 29, 2018

A provincial grant to Native Friendship Centres is supporting the hiring of four navigators to connect people with life-saving treatment, harm reduction and culturally sensitive wraparound services.

Navigators have been hired in Edmonton, Calgary, Lethbridge and Grande Prairie with the support of the $400,000 grant. Workshops, naloxone training sessions and educational material will also be provided to staff at Friendship Centres in 21 communities throughout the province. These new tools will support greater substance-use awareness and prevention and strengthen access to culturally appropriate services for Indigenous people.

The opioid crisis is having a heartbreaking impact on families and communities across the province. We need to do everything we can to help people receive greater access to health services for substance use without facing cultural barriers or stigma. Our government is proud to support Alberta Native Friendship Centres as they play a vital role in making sure Indigenous people in urban areas can easily access life-saving resources.

Sarah Hoffman, Minister of Health

Elders, health-care providers and people with lived experience are working with Friendship Centres to provide guidance on a traditional and culturally appropriate approach to supporting individuals affected by substance use.

Community-based Friendship Centres are a vital point of contact for information, cultural programming and services and referrals for an increasing number of urban Indigenous people across Alberta. The resources provided through this grant are supporting local communities to develop culturally relevant approaches to begin addressing this tragic epidemic.

Joanne Mason, executive director, Alberta Native Friendship Centres Association

First Nations and Métis people have higher rates of opioid overdose deaths, emergency department visits and opioid prescriptions compared with non-Indigenous people. Supporting Indigenous communities with new tools to respond to the opioid crisis is a recommendation of the Minister’s Opioid Emergency Response Commission.

In Budget 2018, the government committed $63 million to continue its work on the opioid crisis, including:

  • Opening new opioid dependency treatment spaces across the province, helping an additional 4,000 Albertans every year.
  • Distributing more than 83,000 free naloxone kits, with more than 4,500 reported overdose reversals.
  • Supporting supervised consumption services in Edmonton, Calgary and Lethbridge and community-based initiatives to bring these life-saving services to Red Deer, Medicine Hat, Grande Prairie and through a mobile unit in Calgary.

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