The Endacho Healing Society says it has reached an important milestone as it works to build a one-of-a-kind Indigenous healing lodge in the NWT.
Amid a flurry of pre-election announcements, the federal government recently promised $7 million toward construction of the lodge through its Green and Inclusive Community Buildings program.
Jean and Roy Erasmus, councillors at Dene Wellness Warriors, have been planning a healing lodge since last year.
They recently completed a feasibility study and business case, and have registered the Endacho Healing Society as a non-profit.
The project will offer 24 beds and six-to-eight-week stays for people looking to recover from trauma.
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The Erasmuses have been offering counselling and workshops for many years in the North and noticed a “desperate need” for a trauma healing centre in the NWT.
Previously, the counsellors would refer people to an Indigenous healing centre in British Columbia. Eventually, they said, the waitlists became too long and the centre began accepting BC residents only, leaving people in the NWT with few other options.
A site for the project has not yet been identified. Roy and Jean say it could be built in Yellowknife but they don’t yet know for certain.
They said they have until 2029 to use the funds earmarked for the construction project, but don’t yet have a timeline for the opening of the new facility.
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A press release published before the election by the NWT’s outgoing Liberal MP, Michael McLeod, stated the healing lodge will an energy-efficient “place of harmony with the land and water.”
The Erasmuses say programming offered at the centre will blend western and traditional healing practices, offering educational sessions every day, and plenty of time on the land.
“We want to have people on the land a lot because the land is healing, and this is a program for Indigenous people,” said Roy.
“We’ve been impacted by colonization and, particularly, we could name the residential schools. So people need to recover from that – they need to reclaim their culture, because culture is stronger than trauma and addictions.”
Jean said the centre will be open to people looking to heal from all kinds of trauma.
“It’s not just for people who have just come from an alcohol and drug treatment program – and we’re providing aftercare, for sure – but I think we want to show that it’s open to more than just people who have active addictions,” said Jean.
Roy and Jean are planning to pilot a healing program in two communities this summer, the details of which are still being confirmed.
“It would be about reclaiming culture, confronting colonization and its impacts, regulating trauma and living with presence, grieving well,” said Roy.
