The Victoria Native Friendship Centre squeezes as much use out of its building as it possibly can.
Located in the former Hampton Elementary School, the centre has been operating there for 12 years. It is one of 25 such centres in sa国际传媒 and will mark its 50th anniversary this year.
Victoria executive director Ron Rice said the various centres differ a little from community to community, 鈥渂ut basically work with Indigenous people who are living off-reserve or living away from their home or home territory.鈥�
The local centre started out as 鈥渟omething of a gathering place鈥� with things such as job boards and accommodation boards for the clientele, said Rice.
When an architect was brought in to consult on a possible expansion, she called the centre 鈥渢he hardest-working building I鈥檝e ever met,鈥� he said.
鈥淓very corner is occupied by something or somebody or some program.鈥�
Among those programs is the only lending library in a friendship centre in sa国际传媒. It is named after Bruce Parisian, Rice鈥檚 predecessor.
Victoria Foundation funding has helped with the centre鈥檚 kitchen, obtaining such facilities as a walk-in cooler and housing.
The purpose of the Victoria centre has remained constant through the years, Rice said.
鈥淥ur mandate is still to improve the quality of life for urban Indigenous people,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd looking at moving the needle wherever the person is in their life, whether it鈥檚 dealing with pain or trauma or residential school, health, addictions, all those sorts of things.
鈥淏ut then it鈥檚 also looking at things like people who are wanting to get better job or get a higher education.鈥�
Efforts are made to 鈥渆mbed culture and traditions鈥� in all programs, Rice said.
Housing remains a priority, he said.
鈥淲e have a housing program which looks at people who don鈥檛 fit into some of the boxes in some聽of the more mainstream housing programs,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e have teenage parents, we鈥檝e got youth transitioning out of care, we鈥檝e got post-secondary students, grandparents raising their聽grandchildren.
鈥淎nd a new one for us, we have co-parenting siblings.鈥�
They are all part of a 41-unit social-housing site known as Siem Lelum or Respected House.
A 70-space daycare has also been added to the back of the building.
鈥淭here鈥檚 106 employees and contractors that work here supporting 51 programs,鈥� Rice said.
He said the people served at the centre range from newborns to elders.
A shelter area with 25 spaces has also been established.
鈥淓very night we convert our gymnasium, which we use as a community hall, into a shelter, so that opens at 9 p.m. and closes at 7 a.m.鈥�
