Indigenous women take to the streets of downtown Winnipeg to help their community

Winnipeg’s Downtown Community Safety Partnership (DCSP) is expanding at the request of community members. A new team of Indigenous women will focus on strictly serving other Indigenous women in the city center, utilizing their expertise to connect and support those who need them. Indigenous Women’s Support Team (IWST) member C.J. Spence from the northern town of Gillam, Man. says she’s been working in social services for 20 years and can’t wait to use her experiences to help others in Winnipeg. “I bring all my experiences with me and hope to share all of my stories and experiences with them,” Spence tells APTN News. The DCSP is receiving $350,000 in funding for the eight-person team from the province through their Mino’Ayaawag Ikwewag Strategy, which was established to create a web of supports for Indigenous women, girls, and two-spirit people throughout the province. IWST members will support and assist people by lending an ear, providing some necessities they may need, or by connecting them to all sorts of resource centers across the city with a human touch. “There’s an overwhelming need for this,” says DCSP executive director Greg Burnett, who says there have been calls made for better protection of vulnerable women in downtown Winnipeg. ‘Those of us that are on this path in a good way are best positioned to work with our women that are dealing with those myriad of issues,’ says Minister of Families Nahanni Fontaine. Photo: Sav Jonsa/APTN. Though DCSP is a 24/7 non-emergency organization, the IWST will begin their services during the daylight hours to start and will add evening shifts as they establish themselves within the community. When asked how the team members will be kept safe while on the streets, Burnett assured there are policies and training in place to ensure the well-being of all DCSP’s employees. He adds that it’s important to remember that most people who do need their help are not violent. “We deal with people, participants on the street who are vulnerable, marginalized, at risk, and they’re not violent.,” says Burnett, “This is the kind of help people on the streets … need.” The IWST is part of a wider push to provide more public safety in the urban location, as both the provincial and municipal governments hope to create a more enticing environment for locals and tourists, while providing supports to people in need. “I think this is something that all Manitobans can be proud of and can show the commitment of our government to prioritizing the safety of Indigenous women but also, also leaning into public safety,” says the Minister of Families Nahanni Fontaine. Fontaine says IWST is one of the most unique units across the country, as it is specifically indigenous women working to support indigenous women. “Women that [IWST] come into contact with can intrinsically trust and know that they can rely on them and that they also get the issues that they’re dealing with,” says Fontaine, as many team members bring with them experiences like MMIWG2S advocacy which will inform their work. Fontaine says those shared histories will help better guide the team’s interactions. “That [shared history] is the consequence of inter-generational trauma. So, those of us that are on this path in a good way are best positioned to work with our women that are dealing with those myriad of issues,” says Fontaine. The IWST will soon have a vehicle and marked clothing so they are easy to spot – make sure to give them a wave hello if you see them out and about. Continue Reading