Healing at Home

For many residents of the Granville Gates Supportive Housing for Seniors in British Columbia, the legacy of intergenerational trauma inflicted by the residential school system continues to harm. Many seniors carry the weight of painful histories, alongside challenges related to mental health, addiction, developmental disabilities, and brushes with the judicial system. They seek care and connection but struggle to know where to access it or whom to ask for help.

That is why Granville Gates is launching Indigenous-led Talking Circles and monthly cultural activities that nurture healing through tradition. These gatherings will include beadwork, dreamcatcher workshops, drumming, singing, dancing, smudging, and ceremony, along with celebrations of Indigenous holidays and teachings on traditional medicine harvesting. Elders and Knowledge Keepers will guide these activities, while mentoring an on-site cultural support worker to learn and share critical knowledge long after the project ends.

Granville Gates has a deeply rooted Indigenous presence and is home to 80 seniors aged 55 and older. Support from the Indigenous Reconciliation Fund (IRF) will help lay the foundation for these Talking Circles and cultural activities, enabling Granville Gates to continue fostering a space where healing, learning and cultural pride can thrive. The project will further empower community connection and deliver spiritual support directly into residents’ daily lives, ensuring that healing can happen right at home.

Archdiocese of Vancouver