Building Resilience: How VAHS is Shaping the Future of Indigenous Health in Vancouver

Elder Nina Thomas eyeing fabric © Simon Bedford

Building Resilience: How VAHS is Shaping the Future of Indigenous Health in Vancouver

For over 30 years, the Vancouver Aboriginal Health Society (VAHS) has been a cornerstone of health and social services for the urban Indigenous community in Greater Vancouver.

In its early days, the organization operated as an after-hours medical clinic, providing much-needed healthcare services to a population that was often overlooked and underserved. Today, VAHS offers a wide range of services to address not just physical health but also the mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being of those they serve.

Operating from the deeply rooted understanding that individual well-being is inseparable from community health, VAHS has grown with their community to make sure that everyone is able to access the care they need.

A LEGACY OF CULTURAL HEALING

The Indigenous community in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside (DTES), like many urban Indigenous populations, faces significant challenges. Intergenerational trauma, substance misuse, mental health issues, chronic disease, and homelessness are all too common, made worse by systemic racism and discrimination.

“The philosophy of VAHS is rooted in the Indigenous understanding that individual and community wellness are deeply interconnected—one cannot thrive without the other,” said Carrie Humchitt, Executive Director of the Vancouver Aboriginal Health Society.

VAHS has long recognized that health is not as simple as not being ill—it’s the fullness that comes from cultural connection, community support, and a strong identity.

The services provided at VAHS are trauma-informed and culturally safe, creating a judgement-free environment where individuals can seek care that understands and respects their life journeys. Elders are crucial in guiding these programs, ensuring cultural traditions are at the heart of the healing process.

The Primary Care Clinic, for example, provides multidisciplinary healthcare with a focus on urban Indigenous peoples and residents of the DTES. The clinic offers everything from HIV care and mental health support to access to Elder-led traditional healing. The integration of Western and traditional medicines under one roof has proven to enhance patient acceptance and improve treatment outcomes.

The Dental Clinic, now in its 15th year, offers low-barrier, preventative, and urgent care services to those with little or no dental coverage. This clinic is a vital resource for many in the community, providing essential care that would otherwise be inaccessible.

The Aboriginal Infant Development Program and the Aboriginal Supported Childhood Development Program are two of the many family-centred services VAHS offers. These programs provide crucial early intervention support for Indigenous children and their families, fostering healthy development and empowering parents to be active participants in their communities.

The Women’s Mobile Primary Care Clinic, launched in 2023, is another innovative program. This mobile clinic delivers low-barrier, culturally safe healthcare directly to women, including those who may be experiencing homelessness or other barriers to accessing traditional healthcare services. The program is open to all women (including trans-inclusive services) and provides on-site care from a doctor or nurse, cultural support, social service navigation, harm reduction supplies, and outreach services.

The Wa chxw yuu Reaching Home Program is a culturally safe housing service designed to help unhoused people and those at risk of homelessness get housing.

Supported by Lu’ma Native Housing Society and Infrastructure Canada, this program offers emergency financial assistance, cultural services, family-centred housing options, and advocacy, especially for Indigenous peoples on the DTES, who often need housing the most

Our Circle is Strong (OCIS) is a dedicated team of Elders and Knowledge Keepers committed to providing accessible pathways to traditional healing. Through weekly cultural programming, including Beading Circles, regalia sewing classes, and teachings from Coast Salish traditions, OCIS fosters a strong connection to Indigenous culture. OCIS also offers seasonal ceremonies, monthly sweat lodges, and access to traditional foods and medicines. Recently, the program launched a specialized program that provides land-based and ceremonial healing opportunities tailored specifically for individuals living with HIV and viral hepatitis.

These programs all serve an important purpose: providing a lifeline to individuals who might otherwise fall through the cracks of the healthcare system.

A VISION FOR THE FUTURE: THE VAHS HEALING CENTRE

Looking ahead, VAHS is preparing to open a new Healing Centre in the fall of 2025. The first of its kind in Western Canada, this state-ofthe-art facility will be a place of healing and growth grounded in First Nations, Inuit, and Métis ancestral knowledge.

An outdoor Healing Garden on the third floor will offer accessible and permanent ceremony space in the heart of Downtown Eastside, including a sweat lodge, a water feature for water ceremonies, a

teepee for healing circles, and a medicinal plant garden. The centre will also provide mental and emotional support services, trauma-informed counselling for individuals and families, cultural sharing, and traditional healing practices.

A traditional medicine pharmacy connected to the Primary Care and Dental Clinics will offer medicinal plants, salves, teas, and other plant extracts, providing access to medicines not readily available in the city. Elders and Knowledge Keepers will have workshops, ceremonies, counselling, and cultural sharing spaces.

The new Healing Centre will allow us to expand our reach, further integrating the wisdom of Elders and the teachings of Knowledge Keepers to create trauma-informed healing pathways that are both relevant and unique to each individual," explained Humchitt.

We call on individuals and organizations who believe in the power of reconciliation to join us in making a lasting impact. Your contribution to our new Healing Centre, culturally safe health, and medical and cultural services will help create a space where healing and unity can flourish. Together, we can build a brighter future for all.

For donations up to $10,000, please visit vahs.life. For donations over $10,000, please contact VAHS Executive Director at chumchitt@vahs.life