The Aboriginal Friendship Center has opened its first warming center in northwest Calgary

When the Aboriginal Friendly Center of Calgary (AFCC) identified the need for an Indigenous-focused warming center in the city, the answer was: How can we do this?

In just three weeks, AFCC has transformed a space previously used for mass Covid-19 vaccinations of Calgary locals into a warming space for the first time — during the spring and summer, a cooling space — and a community center that opened on February 12.

According to Shane Gauthier, CEO of AFCC, the teamwork between AFCC staff and the Calgary Homeless Foundation made the transformation possible.

“I always come from a place of yes,” he said.

“So, if there is a need for an elderly center, let's open the first one. If local seniors need affordable housing, let's do it. We built it … we built a $6 million affordable housing development, and then the need was there.”

He said the warming center was built to meet the needs of local Calgarians who wanted a culturally sensitive and safe space.

“Vulnerable Calgary residents, especially Indigenous peoples, need a safe place to decompress, talk to elders and build community and gather. But in the spirit of reconciliation, this place is open to Indigenous people and also to non-Indigenous people to enjoy our programs and services,” Gauthier said.

“Every Wednesday we have elders teaching. We want a place where people can have coffee or tea, rub shoulders, talk to elders, talk to each other, and it's a place of respect.”

Less than a quarter percent of all warming spaces are indigenous, AFCC says

There are more than 450 different warming locations across the city, located at shelters, a Calgary facility and local non-profit and faith-based locations, but the new location at 4628 16th Avenue NW is the only one specifically designed for local residents. , – said AFCC.

The Warming Center is open seven days a week from 9am to 5pm and has two to three staff to assist the 10-15 people expected each day.

Gauthier said the agility to provide space in a short amount of time came from having the space available to us, while also being manageable in terms of size.

“If you're trying to open something very large and comprehensive, it takes more planning, more dollars and more resources. But if you want to do something like that, it's manageable,” he said.

Elder Jackie Bromley, who blessed the opening of the center on Monday, said many of the homeless Calgarians, who they consider indigenous, feel disconnected from their culture and from each other.

“I've noticed that a lot of people who are homeless like to have a meeting where they can sit down and have coffee and tea and listen to an elder,” he said.

“One person I was talking to… I asked him what's your last name? And he gave me his last name, and I said, “I shot both sides, is that your last name?” I said. He said yes and I started asking him questions about who his grandfather was. He didn't understand until I started asking him who his father was, and when he said that name, his grandfather was our head, and he was proud of the expression he showed.”

Faith is not valued as a way for people to heal

Bromley said being able to reintegrate into the culture, be able to speak their own language and participate in culturally and faith-appropriate practices is a way to heal traumatized homeless Calgarians.

“I'm proud to say it's the right place, we need a local gathering place,” he said.

Mayor Jyoti Gondek said the model AFCC is using represents a shift in thinking about how homeless Calgarians should be served.

“What we're learning more and more by interacting with people who have experienced homelessness is the importance of human connection. “It's not only the physicality of the warming center, but also the warmth we get from the community,” he said.

“The city of Calgary is very interested in us taking care of people in crisis, people who are very vulnerable at certain times, and I think there are more spaces where people understand us. Caring for them here is the way to the future.”

He said the city needs to be more aware of people's cultural and faith-based needs when providing services, and AFCC provides that avenue.

“It's not just a warming center, but you have cultural components that help individuals become whole people. You can sit with your faith, you know that your culture is something that other people understand, and I think that's a critical way forward,” Mayor Gondek said.

“I don't think we talk about faith enough, and it's really faith that gets us through.”