On any given day in Kingaqsualujjuak, Que., a person or family in crisis can call a 24-hour number and speak to a community member who can help. Qarmaapik House offers a safe house for parents and children, and its goal is to keep families together, ensuring Inuit resources intervene when families need help.
Governor General Mary Simon listens to a presentation by Qarmaapik counsellor Ellasie Annanack, left, at the Qamaarpik House, May 10, 2022 in Kangiqsualujjuaq, Quebec. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian WyldOn any given day in Kingaqsualujjuak, Que., a person or family in crisis can call a 24-hour number and speak to a community member who can help.
The program's founders wanted to reduce the number of Inuit children who are taken from their homes and communities and placed in care because of issues with violence, neglect or substance abuse at home. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission report said that is "related to the intractable legacies of residential schools including poverty, addictions and domestic and sexual violence."
In Nunavik, getting the safe house started and ensuring it's recognized as a critical resource hasn't been easy. Funding comes from the Nunavik board of health and social services, the Kativik Municipal Housing Bureau and Kativik Regional Government, but the safe house is run by the community. It now offers psychological services and a community kitchen, among other programming.
"Sometimes we would feel we were the cause of placement, because we didn't know the system," she said. There are also challenges with housing, as in many northern communities. The safe house itself is in an aging building in need of upgrades.
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