Recommendations to guarantee economic security for Indigenous women in the DTES

Employment security

Recommendation 77: Rectify Indigenous women’s exclusion from the economy by:

1. Developing equitable and inclusive hiring policy and standards.
2. Creating a diversity of low-barrier jobs in the DTES with priority hiring and support for Indigenous women of the community.
3. Creating peer-based employment programs including navigation positions throughout the housing, mental health, substance use, and income support systems.
4. Ensuring Indigenous women peer workers are paid a living wage, have full benefits, and have the right to unionization.
5. Creating jobs that value and compensate skills such as weaving, beading, drum making, food harvesting, and traditional healing, and support the creation of an Indigenous women’s cooperative in the DTES.
6. Improving employment supports and workplace accommodations for Indigenous women who are single parents and/or in recovery to ensure that they are not setup to fail in their employment due to systemic barriers.

Recommendations to guarantee economic security for Indigenous women in the DTES

Employment security

Recommendation 78: Expand the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) model for all employment support programs.

Recommendations to guarantee economic security for Indigenous women in the DTES

Employment security

Recommendation 79: Recognize the role and contribution of volunteers in the DTES, and create accredited volunteer programs to transfer skills and enable access to employment opportunities.

Recommendations to guarantee economic security for Indigenous women in the DTES

Universal public services

Recommendation 83: Guarantee a free and culturally appropriate child care system for all Indigenous families, including families awaiting kinship care placements. Child care must accommodates families’ diverse schedules, be available to children of all needs and abilities, and must be independent from child welfare services.

Recommendation 84: Universal public healthcare coverage to include supplements, prescriptions, counselling, dental, optical, mobility devices, adaptive equipment, and alternative treatments like acupuncture.

Recommendations to guarantee economic security for Indigenous women in the DTES

Universal public services

Recommendation 85: Guarantee free and extended transportation:

1. Free transit pass for children ages 0-18 years old, all youth transitioning out of government care till the age of 25 years old, and for all adults on pensions, income assistance, and disability assistance.
2. Expand public transit, including HandyDart and community-based passenger van programs.
3. Access to free transportation to and from medical appointments, especially for those with disabilities and the elderly.

Recommendations to guarantee economic security for Indigenous women in the DTES

Universal public services

Recommendation 86: Implement better educational supports:

1. Expansion of the Head Start program for Indigenous families.
2. Guarantee a school breakfast and lunch food program in all public schools that is free, nutritious, and culturally diverse.
3. More Indigenous-focused schools with Indigenous teachers, Indigenousbased educational methodology and curriculum, and that is supportive to urban Indigenous students needs and contexts.

Recommendations to guarantee economic security for Indigenous women in the DTES

Universal public services

Recommendation 88: Adoption of low-income customer rates and rules by BC Hydro and all energy providers including waiver of security deposits, late payment fees, and reconnection fees; more flexible payment arrangements; and suspension of disconnections during cold weather and for people with medical conditions.

Recommendations for safe and affordable housing for Indigenous women in the DTES

Recommendation 89: The Definition of Indigenous homelessness in Canada should form the basis of all policies on Housing and homelessness with appropriate solutions to homelessness that integrates land, culture, belonging, and kinship networks.

Recommendations for safe and affordable housing for Indigenous women in the DTES

Recommendation 90: Comprehensive federal, provincial, and municipal Indigenous Housing policy framework to specifically address Indigenous homelessness.