CULTURALLY ROOTED HEALING
The All Nations Outreach Society is walking alongside Indigenous relatives who have experienced homelessness, offering a path back to healing through culture, ceremony, and community. Together, we are creating sacred spaces where our people can reconnect with the land, water, and their spiritual identity.
Through on-the-water healing journeys, traditional ceremonies, and peer-led support, Indigenous individuals are gently reminded of who they are and where they come from. These culturally grounded offerings go beyond temporary shelter—they honour our ancestors and uplift our people by addressing the deeper roots of displacement and trauma.
The All Nations Outreach Society supports BC Housing’s work on the housing continuum by:
Offering meaningful, ongoing cultural engagement rooted in traditional teachings;
Helping ease the material and spiritual burdens that come with homelessness;
Providing regular access to nourishing food, care packages, and cultural connection in a safe, consistent way;
Creating environments where Indigenous peoples from all Nations feel seen, heard, and respected;
Building bridges to Indigenous-led services that honour identity, restore dignity, and walk with individuals on their healing journey.
We believe that healing is possible when culture leads the way.
Through ceremony, community, and love, our people rise.
FEED THE PEOPLE
Since 2019, the All Nations Outreach Society has led a weekly lunch program that embodies Indigenous harm reduction in action. Taking place in the heart of Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside—near the intersection of Main and Hastings—this program began with just 12 lunches and has grown into a community-driven effort that now prepares and distributes between 300 and 450 meals every week. But this offering is not just about food. It is about showing up consistently, in a good way, for those who are too often forgotten. It is about meeting people where they are, without judgment, and honouring their inherent dignity and cultural identity.
Our approach to harm reduction is rooted in Indigenous worldviews, where care is unconditional, healing is relational, and connection is sacred. We don’t treat people as problems to be fixed—we see them as relatives to be respected, supported, and loved. We know that substance use, trauma, and homelessness are not individual failures, but symptoms of larger systems of violence, colonization, and disconnection. That’s why our work is grounded in ceremony, kinship, and the cultural practice of food-sharing—a powerful act present in many Indigenous Nations that symbolizes unity, reciprocity, and survival.
Each lunch is prepared with intention by a team of over a dozen volunteers—many of whom are Indigenous and/or have lived experience of the very challenges we seek to address. As we hand out meals, we also offer a moment of presence, a familiar face, a word of encouragement, or simply a moment of rest. This is where real harm reduction lives: not in bureaucracy or policy, but in everyday acts of love and consistency. We build relationships slowly, sometimes over weeks or months, through these simple exchanges. For many, this lunch may be their first point of contact with our society. For others, it’s a weekly check-in, a grounding moment, or even a lifeline.
Through food, we open the door to deeper connection—to services, to cultural teachings, to healing pathways that are meaningful and led by Indigenous voices. The All Nations Outreach Society believes that healing must begin with belonging. That’s what this program offers every week: a sense that someone cares, that culture is alive, and that no matter how far someone has fallen, they are still part of the circle.
MAKING CONNECTIONS
Another core service of the All Nations Outreach Society is walking alongside Indigenous relatives on their journey home — physically, spiritually, and culturally. Many of our people find themselves in the Downtown Eastside (DTES) disconnected from their land, family, and Nation, facing daily challenges rooted in generations of displacement, colonial violence, and systemic neglect. The harsh realities of the DTES — from poverty to addiction to mental health struggles — can be overwhelming, yet the spirit of our people remains strong.
All Nations Outreach Society believes that healing begins with reconnection. We support our relatives in safely returning to their home communities when they are ready, recognizing that for many, going home is not just about geography — it’s about returning to identity, language, ceremony, and belonging. We walk gently with each person, respecting their pace, and acknowledging the fears and barriers that may come with this step.
Through strong relationships with First Nations across the province and through partnership with the Homeward Bound initiative of the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction, we work to ease that transition. Whether it’s arranging safe travel, offering emotional support, or coordinating with community supports back home, we are committed to restoring those sacred connections. We believe in the strength of our Nations, and in the power of coming home to a place where one’s spirit can begin to breathe again.
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