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Carrier Sekani Tribal Council Announces Partnership with the Urban Aboriginal Working Group and PGNAETA to Fight Homelessness
(Prince George BC, Lheidli T’enneh Territory, April 17, 2020) The Carrier Sekani Tribal Council (CSTC) and the Prince George Nechako Aboriginal Employment and Training Association (PGNAETA) have partnered on a new initiative to fight homelessness during the COVID-19 crisis. The initiative will help people who are close to losing their homes, as well as bringing people off the street and into transitional housing.
“We know that a lot of people are struggling right now, and the CSTC is honoured to be able to provide dry goods and other food items in this time of need, and to help others to get off the street,” said CSTC Tribal Chief Mina Holmes. “Our partners at PGNAETA have worked on getting the funding together, and the CSTC has found people in need to benefit from this program,” she continued.
The partner organizations are also reaching out to other service providers in Prince George to ensure that the initiative is coordinated with other work already being undertaken.
“PGNAETA is heavily involved in the local community, and we know that during COVID-19 a lot of people have become close to losing their homes,” said Karin Hunt, Executive Director at PGNAETA. “The CSTC is a perfect partner for us because they share our commitment to building our community.”
The first phase of this program runs from April to June 2020, with plans to extend and expand during the summer.
Quick Facts:
The first phase of this initiative will provide the first three months of rent for up to five people who are currently homeless or about to lose their homes.
An additional up to five homeless people will be moved temporarily into hotel rooms with kitchenettes during this time.
The initiative will also be providing food for recipients during the program’s duration.
For those recipients with substance dependencies, counseling and outreach services will be made available.
About the Carrier Sekani Tribal Council: The Carrier Sekani Tribal Council (CSTC) provides political and technical support to seven First Nations. The combined population of CSTC’s member of First Nations is over 5,000 people. The combined territories of the CSTC member First Nations is approximately 69,000 square kilometers, which is 7.4% of the province of BC.
The funding is provided by the Urban Aboriginal Working Group to support Reaching Home/Covid19 response in the city of Prince George and is administered by the Prince George Nechako Aboriginal Employment and Training Association.