The Elizabeth Fry Society of Northwestern Ontario is receiving a boost from the federal government.
The organization is receiving $838,000 through Health Canada’s Substance Use and Addictions Program for a Substance Use and Addiction Support Services Project.
The project will operate out of two transitional homes located in Thunder Bay.
“We recognize the tragic toll substance use is taking on families, friends, and communities across Canada,” said the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, Ya’ara Saks. “We are supporting community organizations that have deep roots in their communities, the trust of their clients, and the first-hand knowledge needed to make a real difference in people’s lives. We are using every tool at our disposal to end this crisis and build a safer, healthier, and more caring future for all Canadians”
The goal of the project is to deliver harm reduction and post-treatment support to empower women and gender-diverse individuals to overcome the challenges of substance use, incarceration, homelessness, and reintegration into society.
Services offered will include access to an addictions counselor to help support substance use and recovery, as well as peer support workers who will offer emotional support and therapeutic crisis intervention.
Services will be extended to communities throughout the region including Kenora and Fort Frances.
During her visit to Thunder Bay on Friday Minister Saks also announced some other funding.
Roughly $3.2 million is headed to the region through the Emergency Treatment Fund for four projects.
The minister says the federal government will be providing more than $190,000 for the Beendigen Community Healing Project in Fort William First Nation.
Fort William is using the funds to purchase a community mobile unit and hiring workers to provide harm reduction services delivered within a wrap-around, trauma-informed and culturally-safe circle of care.
The city of Thunder Bay is receiving over $230,000 to address the immediate health and housing needs of those experiencing homelessness.
The city’s project will provide harm reduction services through mobile outreach, offering naloxone distribution, and support for those in encampments and the Temporary Village Initiative.
It will also enhance encampment response efforts by providing resources for sanitation, relationship-building, and connecting individuals to health services and other community supports.
Marten Falls First Nation is receiving $1,909,367 for a healing and treatment program.
The program will offer intervention through a Mobile Response Unit staffed with trained counselors, providing crisis outreach, counseling, and culturally relevant programming, while also connecting individuals to treatment options.
Sustainable Indigenous Solutions is receiving $210,995 for its GB Camp Wheelchair-Accesible Vehicle for Community Mobilization Project.
The project will address accessibility issues by acquiring a wheelchair-accessible vehicle.
