Battling addiction and unemployed, Linda Bouchier ended up living on the street for almost a year before she managed to turn her life around thanks to a peer-support program offered by the Aboriginal Coalition to end Homelessness.
Today, Bouchier is in recovery, living independently. She’s also got a job preparing lunches for her street family, after completing the Peer Support Training Program offered by the coalition and funded by the Victoria Foundation under its Community Grants Program.
The program provides training in a variety of workplace skills, including certification in FoodSafe and First Aid training.
In the first year of the program, which ran from 2021 to 2022, there were five participants. Like the eight participants who have completed the three-month program this year, most are connected to the coalition’s supportive housing initiative.
The program was offered to all the residents, as well as members of the Aboriginal street community who expressed an interest.
“I joined the program because I wanted to make a change in my life,” said Bouchier, who is in her 50s. “I am really happy that I made the decision.”
Participants received barista training through the John Howard Society and cooking classes at the London Chef. The program consisted of one week of instruction every month.
What sets it apart, however, is its Indigenous component, which imparts knowledge of culture as well as gathering of traditional food, its use and its preparation.
“Working with local Elders, family members are introduced to traditional food and the concept of food sovereignty — the right to healthy and culturally appropriate food,” said Nikki Wilkinson, land-based healing manager with the coalition.
“The program is not about sitting and looking at a white piece of paper. It is physical, cultural and spiritual, with ‘out on the land’ training that includes hands-on learning. One day they may be learning how to make bannock and the next visiting our therapeutic garden to learn how to harvest the plants and herbs and turn them into salves, lotions and teas.”
Recognizing that it may be difficult to source traditional food sources throughout the year, participants are also given instructions on how to sustain nourishment in an urban environment.
“For many, the Indigenous component of the program was special, spiritual. It was an awakening of a deep memory of ancestors who have walked among us. For them, it was an empowering experience, one deeply connected to their culture,” said Wilkinson.
She said the program isn’t just about traditional teachings — “that’s not how modern society runs.” The intent is to show how it’s possible to keep a foot in each world, staying grounded with traditional values while navigating between the two cultures.
With their FoodSafe certifications, graduates of the program currently work in the coalition’s kitchen, preparing meals for the street community as well as women in supportive housing.
“The program has taught me about my culture and has improved my mental health,” said Bouchier, who was born in Alberta but has lived in sa国际传媒 for the last 20 years. “It didn’t happen overnight, but the people I have met are more than friends now — they are family.”
