The New Society Institute connects local community members and grassroots organizations to build solidarity between systematically marginalized individuals who are creating solutions to issues most impacting their lives. Since 2012, we have convened Local Safety & Inclusion Solidarity Networks (LSISNs) that bring together women and gender diverse people who are Indigenous, Black, racialized, refugees, trans and/or live with a disability, particularly intellectual and mental health disabilities.
Local Safety & Inclusion Solidarity Networks are collective actors rooted in a local, geographic community, made up of grassroots front-line service providers and community members of diverse marginalized populations, specifically Indigenous, Black African and other racialized groups, refugees and people with intellectual, psychosocial and cognitive disabilities. The aim is for these groups to work in solidarity, and using a gender-based lens to build a holistic web of support around these marginalized communities through community-led interventions designed to: 1) enhance economic security; 2) improve health status; and 3) prevent and more effectively respond to violence.
Toronto – A housing model specific to women and gender diverse people, where 24/7 culturally accessible supports, i.e., culturally responsive mental health and addictions support, Indigenous, ethno-specific, trans and disability-sensitive trauma counselling, work with elders, migrant community leaders, etc., will be offered to systemically marginalized people who are vulnerable to poverty, violence and homelessness.
Vancouver – The Mamook Kloshe Community Safe Hub will expand Warriors Against Violence Society’ existing programs, i.e., Community Outreach, Elders Program, Food Security, Group Therapy Sessions, Individual and Family Counselling, Basic Needs Support, Community Potluck and Events, plus offer short-term residential services for Indigenous men, including their children.
Saint John – The Hearth is a community space that is for, and led by Indigenous, Black, racialized, refugee people, transwomen and people with intellectual and mental health disabilities and their supporters. This will be a place for Indigenous cultural and healing practices; ethno-cultural and disability-sensitive trauma counselling and harm reduction approaches; cultural and disability sensitive approaches to gender-based violence that aim to heal the whole family; peer support groups and work with elders. As well holding arts workshops and organizing celebratory events for the community.
Winnipeg – This solidarity network is envisioning a community gathering space that will be opened 24/7 and will offer a “One Stop Support Circle”, providing holistic supports, where “you see the whole person and supports are tailored to that person”.
Montreal – This network focuses on the distinct issues in Montréal and Québec. Participants are discussing developing a community centre that would offer various services aimed for refugees, immigrants and/or racialized persons, women, persons with disabilities, older adults, Indigenous and 2SLGBTQIA+ people. They are particularly concerned about the difficulties marginalized people have in accessing services and supports and the lack of awareness of existing services. Another issue of prime importance is food security and the idea of distributing food aid.
Iqaluit – The Iqaluit group is our newest network. Issues of concern that have been discussed is that non-Inuit people tend to run most of the social services and therefore making the decisions for Inuit people. The issues need to be addressed holistically and led by Inuit people. The need for ‘circle of supports’ around an individual, all services, the community, and the family working together to support the person through healing from trauma. The Inuit Support System was an idea put forward, where traditional foods would be available and other cultural supports. The idea of a free grocery store, where people could select their own goods was also identified as a need.
The New Society Institute (NSI) has been working on an initiative that aims to address barriers to labour market participation for marginalized Deaf and disabled women∕gender diverse people through use of the online platform, The Accessibility Exchange (TAE). The project’s ‘target’ communities are Indigenous, Black, racialized, non-status, refugee women and gender diverse Deaf and disabled people, with a focus on intellectual, cognitive, and mental health disabilities.
TAE is an online platform connecting people with disabilities and Deaf people to federally regulated organizations (FRO), to identify and remove barriers to their services, as mandated by the Accessible Canada Act. TAE is meant to create income generating opportunities for disabled and Deaf people who experience numerous barriers to employment, e.g., lack of work-related disability supports and discrimination. TAE offers opportunities for disabled and Deaf women and gender diverse people to gain skills needed to become paid consultants, earning real wages by providing their expertise to FROs in safe-discrimination free environments.
Through this initiative, NSI has also began to develop practical strategies that will address distinct, gender-based disability and intersectional barriers, to securing TAE work contracts. For the target group to prosper through TAE, workplace strategies are needed to combat gender-based racism, ableism, transphobia, audism, and mental health stigma in attaining contracts and to address intersectional sexism and genderism in FRO’s hiring practices.
The Community Circles of Support Addressing Systemic Racism in Local Communuties – A Gender-based Intersectional Approach initiative funded by Canadian Heritage (2022-2024) set out to bring systemically marginalized groups together to identify issues of racism and work together to promote awareness in their own communities. Through the framework of the LSISN, individuals and communities have been encouraged to consider the various ways solidarity can be used as a practical tool to address anti-Black, anti-Indigenous, and other forms of racism.
A key objective of this initiative was to design community-based awareness raising tools that could be used by front-line workers from local mainstream and community agencies serving systemically marginalized communities, specifically, Indigenous, Black, racialized, refugee and 2SLGTBQIA+ peoples, Deaf people and/or people with disabilities. These fact sheets provide information on the context of structural racism, tips on engaging Indigenous community members, and includes discussion questions to prompt dialogue, reflection and understanding.
The Reaching Home – Promoting Inclusive Housing for Marginalized People with Intellectual Disabilities initiative set out to address the following objectives, by designing/copiloting evidence-based tools and strategies in three communities in Canada: Iqaluit, Toronto, and Winnipeg.
The first objective is to develop resources and strategies to effectively identify and respond to the homelessness and housing vulnerability experienced by people with intellectual disabilities. These resources and strategies will be used by local public services and community agencies serving specific populations with intellectual disabilities, including: Indigenous nations. people fleeing gender-based violence, and racialized people, with a focus on seniors and youth from these populations.
The second objective is to develop tools and strategies for community leaders and agencies to design intentional Local Safety and Inclusion Solidarity Networks (LSISN) to ensure that people with intellectual disabilities are not isolated and vulnerable in their communities even if they have access to affordable housing units.
The overall aim of this initiative is to improve the capacity of local community stakeholders to identify and respond to housing vulnerability of marginalized Canadians with intellectual disabilities.
The Trafficking & Indigenous Women with Intellectual, Cognitive and Psychosocial Disabilities: Promising Preventative Practices initiative sought to learn more about the specificity of these experiences to develop and implement culturally and disability sensitive promising practices for potential community supporters and women and gender diverse people themselves.
Promosing practices were developed to highlight the nature of trafficking experiences, risk factors, service barriers and supports needed for Indigenous women and gender diverse people with intellectual, cognitive, and psychosocial disabilities who may be vulnerable to trafficking. For more information please view the report: https://irisinstitute.ca/resource/trafficking-indigenous-women-with-intellectual-cognitive-and-psychosocial-disabilities/.
WAVS helped to advance Indigenous women’s recovery from the impacts of COVID-19 through a systemic approach to addressing GBV. Specifically, this project addressed barriers experienced by Indigenous peoples with and without disabilities, by designing and implementing a gender-based, Indigenous-centred, long-term preventative ‘Community Safe Hub’ to respond to the systemic gaps in mainstream GBV services for Indigenous families experiencing violence.
Guide
Report
Report
Guide
