Niginan Housing Ventures Four Fires Job Readiness Program

The Cause

Many of our residents come to us directly from the encampments or from a houseless environment for a significant period of time. Readiness for work is normally the lowest priority as our residents struggle with addiction, mental health and physical health issues. A job readiness program, the Niginan Way, would require meeting people where they are at and provide as flexible rules as possible. This means the work environment would have to be discretionary or non-essential. That would include activities such as wood gathering to sell, art projects for sale, sewing projects to sell, food services, local snow removal, landscaping, outdoor recreational activities to name a few. The residents would have to be allowed to come to work when they can, show up when they are able and other flexibility that is not typical of a job readiness program. We would also provide necessary training and ensure identification was obtained.
The job readiness program is based on the Four Fires teachings which are sacred and can only be described at a very high level. The journey through the four fires can take years. Outside at the first fire, the oskopious is taught the very basic living skills. Once they are ready, they are moved to the second fire outside the house where they receive more teachings and more living skills. When they have completed this stage, they are moved inside the door of the house and receive more teachings and even more skills where they can move into the sacred part of the house with the fourth fire. By the time they reach the fourth fire, they might even have grey hair because moving through the four fires can take a long time.
The Niginan Housing Ventures Four Fires Program is a comprehensive initiative designed to empower individuals to go through the first two fires described above. Once and if they reach the Third Fire, only then would they be able join the main stream skills development sector. Residents that are moved into the Third fire would continue to receive the necessary support services and once they are into the Fourth fire, they would become a mentor, teacher, support person for other residents in the program.

Who Will it Benefit?

Niginan Housing Ventures provides Indigenous led supportive housing services to those with complex needs and deemed hardest to house in Edmonton. We currently operate 4 sites including Ambrose Place (42 suites), Omamoowangogamik (42 suites), McArthur Place (50 suites) and Pimatsiwin (under renovation, currently housing 34 but will be housing up to 160 this winter). Our level of care starts from a place of love and kindness and we have strong partnerships with Alberta Health Services, Homeward Trust, Red Road Healing Society and PDD to provide supportive care. We take residents that have not been successfully housed by any other agency and recognize the success of our program through culture and following the four natural laws.
Our residents, local community members and staff would be the main benefactors. A pay it forward job readiness program can create a ripple effect that benefits the residents but also the agency and community at large as it lead to changes in attitudes, behaviours and produces a healthier society.