When Winnipeggers need help, the community always steps up. We are known as a city that cares, and we put that care into action whenever we can.
So when our city experienced a dramatic rise in addiction these past few years, especially the use of opioids, and we saw an accompanying rise in deaths, our community knew it was time to come together.
This crisis is devastating not only to the people experiencing addiction but also to their friends, their families, and their communities.
On average, more than one person a day dies of overdose here in Manitoba.
Our agency partners like Clan Mothers Turtle Lodge have directly experienced this. “[We’ve] seen an increased level of gender-violence, sexual exploitation, depression, suicide, poverty and substance use among their participating relatives,” says Debra Diubaldo, Programs Director.
But there is hope.
Organizations across the city are providing an impressive range of support programs to help meet people where they’re at and provide judgement-free care. Getting help is so much easier when you’ve got community behind you.
Healthy people in strong communities—that’s a pillar of United Way Winnipeg. We’ve provided funding to addiction-related agencies and programs for years. Now we’re upping our care for the community and our commitment with over half a million in special funding to help our community overcome addiction and work toward brighter futures.
In sharing how crucial this work is to United Way Winnipeg’s Community Investment Committee, which made the funding decision, Vice-Chair Shahid Khan offered a quote from Breaking Down the Wall of Silence by Alice Miller. “What is addiction really? It is a sign, a signal, a symptom of distress. It is a language that tells us about a plight that must be understood.”
In speaking specifically about Winnipeg, Shahid says, “The substance and opioid crisis in our city is abundantly clear.” And to work through it, we must work together.
Seven Winnipeg organizations will each receive $75,000 to support or expand their programs and services targeting Winnipeg’s addiction crisis.
“Because of partners like United Way Winnipeg, we are able to fulfill our mission of being a place of healing, recovery, and a foundation for life for all,” says Greg Kyllo, Executive Director of Bruce Oake Recovery Centre, one of the seven organizations receiving funding.
Just as addiction can look differently from person to person, so too can treatment options. That’s the power of working united as a community; we recognize our differences, honour them, and celebrate them.
“United Way Winnipeg has become a valued partner in promoting, supporting and acknowledging that Winnipeg needs new and innovative ways to address the rise in substance disorder issues,” Debra at Clan Mothers says.
Below are the seven organizations and an overview of their work:
• Bruce Oake Recovery Centre uses a Two-Eyed Seeing approach to substance use treatment, where Indigenous and Western worldviews are integrated to help clients work towards well-being.
• Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) provides support to both the person experiencing addiction and the family seeing their loved one struggle. Often working with Bruce Oake Recovery Centre, CMHA helps clients and families work through treatment and plan for long-term success.
• Clan Mothers Turtle Lodge features Indigenous Elders who lead women and two-spirit persons through Elder’s 13 Moon Teachings to discover their own sacred power and ability to heal and recover from the pain of violence, trauma, and addiction.
• Ka Ni Kanichihk uses an Indigenous-led harm reduction model, providing culturally specific tools, ceremonies, and teachings to address problematic substance use.
• North End Women’s Centre will expand its Come As You Are substance-use support program, which helps participants reduce their use and find alternative ways to cope with the feelings and behaviours that lead to substance use.
• Sunshine House’s Bimosedaa project provides a Systems Navigator to up to twenty individuals to provide personal support for withdrawal management, treatment programs, and an individualized plan for managing substance use.
• Two Ten Recovery will expand its programming to include prioritized case management, increased staff training, and unique tools and strategies to help clients work toward recovery.
Each of these seven organizations sees the person behind the addiction. They help where help is needed, and it’s thanks to them that real progress is being made. We are seeing hope in our community, and we are seeing healing.
“This support allows us to continue to work toward the calls of action of the TRC by providing Indigenous-led traditional healing programs and services alongside Western therapeutic modalities,” says Greg. Bruce Oake has already seen tremendous success with their programs and is looking forward to seeing even more with this funding.
At Sunshine House, Executive Director Levi Foy speaks of how this funding will focus on recovery-oriented substance use management and help more 2SLGBTQ+ individuals access treatment, as this community is often left out of treatment programs. “We hope that Bimosedaa can contribute to increasing numbers of people achieving their goals related to substance use.”
Committee Vice-Chair Shahid sums up this core goal of this funding partnership succinctly: “We are attempting to address the needs of the most vulnerable groups in our society.”
United Way Winnipeg is proud to be a vital partner in this crucial work of understanding and helping those in our community who need help the most work toward brighter futures.
Our community can heal. Together.
.
