Aboriginal Coalition to End Homelessness Society

Published purpose

This 30-month project will develop and implement a program and partnership model between the Aboriginal Coalition to End Homelessness Society (ACEH), the Victoria Police Department (VicPD), and Indigenous women with lived experience to address the root causes of gender-based violence. ACEH will achieve this by organizing women’s land-based safety days to discuss gender-based violence experiences with police, and organizing relationship-building days for Indigenous women, ACEH staff and the VicPD to build reciprocal understanding and trust. It will lead a community gathering to co-develop a partnership model and develop a culminating video resource, formalize commitments to systemic change with VicPD and the Collaborative Response Network, and pilot peer employment positions for Indigenous women with lived experience to implement or support project objectives. It will also complete a comprehensive evaluation and lead webinars across the tribal regions on Vancouver Island to share the project’s resources and implementation strategy. At the end of the project, the organization will have developed a promising practice that addresses policies and practices that prevent women or girls from fully participating in the social, political and economic spheres, designed and implemented policies and practices to increase women’s labour market participation and opportunities, and developed and implemented community-based approaches to address intersectional barriers to equality for diverse women (e.g. anti-oppression and anti-racism initiatives). It will have engaged men and boys to combat harmful gender norms and advance gender equality, developed and implemented prevention-focused initiatives to combat gender-based violence, and engaged women or girls with lived experience to influence pandemic recovery responses. It will have also enhanced reconciliation and distinction-based approaches for Indigenous women or girls’ safety, economic security and leadership opportunities, convened and strengthened the feminist movement to collaboratively advance gender equality, and built relationships between equality-seeking organizations and other stakeholders to collaborate across sectors to advance gender equality. A partnership with be developed with the VicPD to support the implementation of project objectives and ensure the overall project success.