Ottawa Aboriginal Coalition

Published purpose

This 26-month project will support a feminist response and recovery from the current impacts of COVID-19 through systemic change. The Ottawa Aboriginal Coalition and the 10 member organizations, including Minwashiin Lodge, will achieve this by establishing an Indigenous Women’s Safety Table (IWST) in the City of Ottawa that will seek to address systemic issues that make Indigenous women unsafe and vulnerable. In addition to the establishment of the Main Table, four workgroups will be established to advocate for systemic change that will reduce Indigenous women’s vulnerability which has been further exposed during COVID. The four systems that the IWST will be focusing on is: Policing, Mental Health and Addictions, Residential services and Housing and Homelessness and the organization will design, disseminate and promote resources and key recommendations for policy and programs to address Indigenous Women’s safety at the organizational and sectoral levels in the city of Ottawa. At the end of the project, the organization will have contributed to addressing systemic barriers by: advancing inclusive policies and practices, encouraging more equitable and effective sharing of resources and increasing networks and collaboration to accelerate systemic change.