Indigenous Outreach

Leading with cultural safety in an Indigenous Relational and strengths-based approach to care, INO supports unhoused or precariously housed people in the Downtown Eastside (DTES) community in Vancouver with complex mental health and/or substance use challenges and connects them to cultural supports and health services, including existing MSHU programs and primary care services. 

INO includes an Outreach Doula service which provides perinatal outreach care, and an Indigenous Youth outreach service specific to Indigenous youth. INO is an outreach service and the team travels to a person’s location. It is not an emergency service and is not for people who are actively putting their own lives, or the physical safety of others, at risk. 

In addition, INO provides:

• Connection to Indigenous cultural and spiritual supports.
• Case consults to embed cultural practices, interventions, and spiritual care into care planning.
• Perinatal outreach care.
• Indigenous Youth Outreach services.
• Biopsychosocial support, connection, and compassion.
• Supporting the client with experiences of being unhoused and health system navigation.
• Support and collaboration with VCH teams in their relationships with self-identified Indigenous clients with experiences of being unhoused and connection to VCH services.
• Guiding VCH teams on ensuring the delivery of culturally safe services and supporting the practice of humility. 

• Age 17+ (Indigenous Youth Outreach Age 13 to 19).
• Frequenting\living in the Downtown Eastside (DTES) community in Vancouver.
• Currently unhoused, precariously housed, and/or at risk of losing housing.
• Experiencing complex mental health and/or substance use challenges.
• Seeking connection to Indigenous cultural and spiritual care supports.
• Seeking Indigenous Youth Outreach services.
• Seeking Outreach Doula care.  
• Hesitant/fearful to engage with VCH existing services.
• Not for people who are actively putting their own lives, or the physical safety of others, at risk.
• In an emergency, please call 9-1-1 or visit the nearest hospital. ​​​

We are an outreach team. Please contact us during regular operating hours if you’d like to refer a client.

Indigenous Outreach referral form
Fax to 604-675-2552 or submit by email to Indigenousoutreach@vch.ca 

Hours: Monday to Friday: 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.