Breaking the vicious cycle of homelessness

By Nontokozo Ndlovu, 2nd year MDP student

Homelessness cannot be entirely blamed on the loss of housing or expensive housing only, it involves a lot of systemic challenges. Homelessness however becomes more visible than other systemic challenges encountered by people. Indigenous people have been overly represented in the numbers of people experiencing homelessness. This is because of colonial and neo-colonial oppression and exclusion. Below is a vicious cycle of homelessness identifying the causes of homelessness beyond just inability to secure housing. This cycle was created by Schmidt, Hrenchuk, Bopp, and Poole (2015) on their study on trajectories of Indigenous women’s homelessness in British Columbia. While it addresses them as causes of homelessness, this is also the cycle to be used to amend the gaps that cause or put Indigenous women at risk of being homeless. It identifies: 

•             Poverty and social exclusion- Indigenous people were moved to peripheral areas, further from their sources of food, spiritual connection and their land was taken away. The Metis were left to fend for themselves, surviving through road allowance and doing cheap labour.

•             Inability to find and maintain housing- Indigenous people were moved to reserves where infrastructure and housing were not maintained well and receiving less funding. Migration to the city brought more challenges ranging from racism to expensive housing.

•             Ineffective services- Services offered to Indigenous people are not trauma informed and services are not culture and language informed perpetuating racism in institutions meant to help them.

•             Unresolved trauma- Indigenous people have faced trauma from residential schools, oppressive policies and colonialism. Metis people are often excluded from residential schools, but Metis people were admitted in residential schools despite less records showing it.

The report on Advancing coordination of Winnipeg homelessness sector of 2017 says, “Approaching homelessness is described as a fusion policy issue because there is no one department, agency, or body that is solely responsible for addressing it.” During my practicum, I did a scan of organizations in Winnipeg that are actively involved in homelessness. These organizations included shelters, health facilities, community and resource centers and emergency facilities. The aim was to understand the services they provided and how best they deal with the issues raised in the vicious cycle.

Breaking the vicious cycle will take more than just organizational intervention as it will require policy change. A lot of housing initiatives have also been reactionary and thus there is need for pro-active strategy. Reaching Home program brings about self-determination of Indigenous people on housing. It is also a pro-active strategy that allows communities to address issues that will reduce the risk of losing housing. It is my hope that the implementation of Reaching Home program brings about change and opens doors to permanent housing and addressing systemic gaps.

Working on Anti-Racism Training during a Pandemic

By Ali Nychuk, 1st year MDP student

Hi I’m Ali. I am a currently finishing my first-year as a student in the MDP program, my field placement is with the First Nations Health and Social Secretariat of Manitoba (FNHSSM). Prior to COVID-19 I was planning to fulfill my field placement in New Zealand, however, due to the novel virus I continued my work with FNHSSM. My position with the organization is as a research Assistant on a Canadian Institute of Health Research funded project in collaboration with the University of Manitoba and University of Toronto working on an Indigenous-Specific Anti-Racism program for Physicians and Health Care providers. The training is an eight-week course with a 16-hour time commitment.  The distinctiveness of this training comes from its embodied two eyed seeing approach that uses the biomedical model of learning of “see one, do one, teach one” and self-reflexivity.

I personally find this work as heart-work as a white in passing Indigenous person I feel like it is my personal responsibility to aid in combating racism in healthcare. I also feel like my work on this project pays homage to so many of my family members, friends, and relatives that have experienced racism when trying to access healthcare. I have been interested in this work ever since attending a lecture put on by the Brian Sinclair Working Group. Strangely now one of the speakers is my boss, it’s really a full circle moment.

 

TTYL,

Ali

 

Working Collaboratively at a Physical Distance

By Ashley Saulog, 2nd year MDP student

As many of us MDP have said, my field placement plans this summer have changed. For me, mine adjusted from being 2,036 km away in Prince George, British Columbia to staying a safe two meters away from one another at the grocery store in Winnipeg or the twenty steps to my desk and computer.

Since September 2019, I’ve been planning and anticipating jet setting alone to BC to join the National Collaborating Centre for Indigenous Health (NCCIH) for the summer. When the news of the closures and lockdown happened, the MDP program and NCCIH were extremely quick to move the placement to a remote format.

The NCCIH is a national Indigenous organization hosted by the University of Northern British Columbia. The NCCIH's mandate is to support a holistic and inclusive public health system, and to foster a strengths-based approach to achieving optimal health and well-being of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples. NCCIH achieves this by utilizing reliable evidence that makes a meaningful impact on First Nation, Inuit, and Métis health, creating more collaborative opportunities for Indigenous communities in public health initiatives; and creating culturally relevant materials.

My co-worker Shiro

My placement topic is to explore knowledge gaps and needs about the health and well-being of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples in the justice system. During this project, I reviewed article upon article exploring what current health and social programs are available for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis women in correctional institutions.

When doing the literature review, my challenge was getting into a new routine for working at home. Working from home is a new concept for me. At first, I would wake up and not know what to do, almost like I forgot how my “normal” workday went. I very soon realized that I was struggling with being at home and doing remote learning. I started to resent the fact I wasn’t working at optimal productivity as I did pre-lockdown. I’m sure this feeling of disappointment and pressuring oneself to be productive at home is very familiar to people adapting to remote or at-home work.  I saw a post that said we are working from home, but that doesn’t mean business as usual.

As James Clear suggests in his book Atomic Habits, we need to make small 1% small improvements or atomic habits that compound into substantial changes. I took James Clear’s advice and applied it to my work-from-home schedule. I started with re-arranging my workspace. Space is hard to come by in my household. Especially now that I need to get accustomed to workmates being all my family members who I usually only see on the weekends. We decided to create a work space that was functional for three university students, a hair student, and a German Shepard. Once the new “office” was structured, it felt natural to design work hours and do my literature search.

Our office/salon

The truth is that I’m still working on getting used to all the changes. The unpredictable nature of this pandemic has seen significant impacts on people’s mental health. This is an aspect of the pandemic that shouldn’t be overlooked. I wish for everyone to be patient with themselves and others while adapting to this new normal. I much appreciate the team at NCCIH for their patience and support for me during this summer.

Take care and stay safe.

Translating Classroom Learning into Field Experience in the Era of COVID 19 Pandemic

By Babatunde Alabi, 1st year MDP student

My ongoing domestic field placement with End Homelessness Winnipeg (EHW) has so far been an exciting learning experience. It serves as an avenue to put into practice some of what I had learned in the classroom, as well as the opportunity to acquire a deeper understanding of one of Canada's most recognizable development challenges; the scourge of homelessness.

EHW is an organization that aims to create lasting solutions that prevent and end homelessness. The four pillars upon which EHW rests include prevention, person-centered supports, housing supply, and measurement. It is no longer news that Indigenous people are over represented in the population experiencing homelessness in Canada. The organization's approach to putting an end to homelessness therefore stems from its core values guided by the fact that housing is not just a human right that must be respected but that must also be protected within the ambits of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People (UNDRIP), as well as Canada's Truth and Reconciliation effort which the organization considers as an important path to ending homelessness.

Joining EHW at a time when the organization is analyzing the 2018 Street Health Survey (SHS) has allowed me to translate my classroom knowledge of research methodologies and statistics into actual practice. My roles and responsibilities during this placement include supporting Indigenous and gender-specific data analysis and writing of final research reports.

One of the most exciting aspects of my placement, occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic, is working remotely from the comfort of my home to deliver on tasks and maintaining seamless virtual connections with teammates through video conferencing platforms. I have particularly enjoyed the remote working experience as it has increased my self-confidence and my ability to work independently while at the same time delivering on tasks without compromising on quality.

Adjusting to Grad School During a Global Pandemic – Planning, Working, and Self-Care

By Taylor Wilson, 2nd year MDP student

Like you may have read from my colleagues, COVID-19 has had an incredible impact on our lives. Not only have we had to change the way we live such as physical distancing and wearing masks when we are out to protect ourselves and others, but it has also had an impact on our education. We are fortunate enough to be in a program that has so far been incredibly flexible during this pandemic but also made sure that we are doing okay. Being a student during these kinds of times is difficult for many reasons. Some learn by doing and being at a desk can prove a challenge. Others have families or people they take care of and balancing school, work, and home, while caring for others can be hard. Some of us have family or friends who essential workers or health complications that put them at risk and so we worry which makes it hard to focus on school. With everything shut down, some even have had no source of income that can be stressful on top of the stress of school. I’m sure many people that aren’t students understand these struggles as well.

Zoom meeting with Lisa Young, Taylor, Dr. Shailesh Shukla and Kirsten Witwicki

For my placement I had initially planned to work with Dr. Shailesh Shukla in my home community, Fisher River Cree Nation. He has had a longstanding relationship with many people from the community and recently released a cookbook with them. I was to spend my summer back in my home territory, learn more about my traditional food system, and work with youth to develop a food guide, or something similar. I’ll detail a little more about why I chose not to continue this research in a later blog, for now I will talk about how I adjusted. I had planned to do field research and so Shailesh and I brainstormed on what I wanted to get out of my placement. I really want to continue working in academia and potentially teach. So, we shifted so I can build skills in those areas. I was fortunate enough that a Masters in Indigenous Governance student, Lisa Young, needed some help with her thesis and I love doing analysis. I’m thankful for her kindness and letting me work with her on it. It provided me with the insight of what it is like writing a thesis as MDP doesn’t do theses. I did analysis for her using NVIVO (a qualitative data program), helped her settle on themes and subthemes, choose quotes, and find sources that supported her work. I also took a class with Shailesh in the Winter term and he wanted to revise the syllabus, so I took up that challenge as well. I updated the course description and objectives, the reading list and schedule, and the assignments. I really enjoyed this project as I found a new appreciation for the intensive work it takes to design a course that will allow for students to learn in an innovative and engaging way.

While it seems like my placement went smoothly, by saying it did I would be lying. It was a challenge. I had to re-adjust to learning and working in an environment that I normally relax in. It definitely took some re-training of habits. Putting myself on a schedule and trying not to get distracted was something of a challenge. I thank a method I learned from a colleague, Ashley Saulog, called the Pomodoro Method. Where you work for 25 minutes, break for 5 minutes, and repeat until a task is done, then you break from 30 minutes. It really helped me stay focused on major tasks. I am also one of the many people who struggled with their mental health during this time, so learning how to ask for help and take breaks was hard for me, as an independent person. I realized during this time, that taking care of myself is more important to me and to others. I am thankful for Shailesh and MDP for being understanding and patient during my mental health journey as some don’t have luxury of this kind of support. I now know moving forward the importance of self-care, time management, and working for quality, not quantity.

Talk soon, Taylor.

My work space

Going Global During the Pandemic

By Alexander Keone Kapuni Oldroyd, 1st year MDP student

We all have stories of how the COVID-19 pandemic turned our lives upside down, stories of lost jobs, lost travel opportunities, cancelled graduations, postponed weddings, ruined vacations, of quarantine restlessness and isolation. Many of us may yet hope to avoid catching the virus, but none of us is untouched.

In times like these I try to remember the first law of thermodynamics—energy can neither be created nor destroyed, only transformed from one state to another. When things break bad, I’m often tempted to dwell on the things I’ve lost, the things that have been “destroyed.” My field placement in Colombia? Gone. My sister’s wedding? Ruined. My conference presentation? Cancelled. But the truth is, all of these opportunities and plans haven’t really been destroyed, just transformed. In their place are new opportunities, new plans to be made, different experiences to have. In the grand scheme of things, I like to believe that there is no loss, only opportunities for change.

When all my plans for the summer fell through, it was difficult at first to see how this crucial time in a grad student’s life between their first and second year could be salvaged for me. Gradually though, new perspectives and prospects to fill my time replaced the old ones. I realized this was the perfect chance for my wife and I to drive down to Texas to quarantine with my family, who we weren’t expecting to see much this year. Classes were moved online and jobs that we couldn’t have accessed before due to geography were suddenly available remotely. My sister found a way to hold an intimate and beautiful wedding ceremony that we will never forget. Best of all, I was able to find an excellent new field placement with Carol Anne Hilton and the Indigenomics Institute.

The Indigenomics Institute works with Indigenous nations and organizations, governments, and private industry to strengthen Indigenous economic capacity and achieve Indigenous economic and community objectives. My role has been to help lay the conceptual groundwork for an upcoming Global Indigenomics Initiative, which will bring together Indigenous peoples from all over the world to promote global Indigenous economic resurgence.

I’m also preparing the Institute’s 2020 10-to-Watch List, a series of articles highlighting 10 remarkable Indigenous and Indigenous-focused organizations and innovators working to build the Indigenous economy in Canada (I also helped create the inaugural 2019 10-to-Watch-List). My work has brought me into contact with some amazing changemakers and taught me much about the state of affairs for Indigenous peoples all over the world. In a time where I’m stuck in one place, it’s poetic to take such a global perspective.

Remote work has its difficulties. There’s no replacing the camaraderie and direct mentorship of working on-site, but I have been able to develop greater independence and self-reliance, and my work-life balance has never felt better. In the beginning, I often had a hard time focusing and staying accountable, but I’ve found that diligently scheduling my day, keeping track of my hours and activities, and setting goals for myself helps me stay productive. Working through this pandemic has helped me develop new competencies that I might not have otherwise.

I’m grateful to Carol Anne Hilton and the Indigenomics Institute for helping make my summer feel like a success, and I’m glad for the chance to practice resilience and adaptability. Here’s to many more messy and transformative seasons to come. 

My workspace over the summer, along with my co-worker Appa (right). We work well together.

Adaption and Resilience: Field Placement in Lockdown

By Ada Chukwudozie, 1st year MDP student

Although my field placement has not gone smoothly, or has been anything like I expected it to be, it has turned out to be a wild ride of positive surprises and endless possibilities. In my journey so far, I picked up a wealth of exciting and transferrable skills, as well as important life lessons on resilience and adaptability. 

Going into the practical aspect of the MDP, I was initially poised to start off with an international placement in Dominica, with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM). Plans however changed when the global pandemic hit. The pandemic forced a nationwide lockdown which meant I had to take a domestic virtual field placement. I was first placed with a not-for-profit organization but unfortunately, things did not work out and I was re-placed to assist on a project called Kishaadigeh.

Kishaadigeh is a research project funded by the Network Environments for Indigenous Health Research (NEIHR) and predominantly led by female Indigenous scholars. Its mandate is to develop a pathway for existing and upcoming Indigenous scholars to work alongside and within Indigenous organisations and communities to lay a foundation for self-determination in research. The current primary focus of the project is the development of research lodges at the community level and to this end, it has partnered up with four Indigenous organisations. 

I was assigned a role that has constantly expanded and evolved far beyond what I had imagined. My initial part in the project was to draft seed grant application forms for potential Indigenous health researchers. This responsibility evolved to a position as the project’s social media coordinator, in which I was tasked to create a social media presence for the project. My involvement with Kishaadigeh has seen me coordinate with its Indigenous research partners, conduct interviews, and develop valuable networks. Moving forward, plans have been made for me to attend board meetings and sit with the adjudications committee in August, indicating exciting new prospects to come. While I was very apprehensive of this third placement initially, these new-found skills and relationship building are things that cannot be quantified and things I will not trade for anything now.

What worked:  Because of an imposed new normal brought about by the pandemic, the mode of my field placement has not been a business-as-usual style but rather, a learn as you go approach. This came with obvious challenges which I discuss below but there are things that worked well too. One of the reasons my initial local placement did not work out was because of the structured, inflexible work-plan laid out for me prior to the organisation’s realisations of the dire impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Indigenous communities it worked with. Restructuring and trying to fit me in proved challenging for the organisation. However, with Kishaadigeh, restructuring did not prove problematic. As new needs came up, I was kept in the loop and there were check-in sessions held to monitor and evaluate my progress.   This structure fostered flexibility and made it easier for me to adapt to a new normal.

What did not work: The lack of a concrete structure was what was most challenging for me. In the past, I thrived working with set deadlines and well-defined tasks. With this placement, I had to set deadlines for my task and work with a broad mandate. This is something that turned out to be a valuable learning experience and  made me learn to be a more independent worker capable of working under minimal supervision.

COVID- 19: The COVID-19 pandemic in many ways has been both a challenge and a blessing. The mandatory lockdown has been mentally challenging and I have tried to curb the effects of anxiety and feelings of isolation with yoga and online gaming. This allowed me to fill in the social void caused by the lockdown while still keeping fit. The challenge that the pandemic also caused with my field placement in general taught me resilience and as I move into the last half of this year’s placement, I move with a more positive mindset.