Status of Women committee  I wanted to answer the question from more of an assistance perspective. I really do believe that the case management model is the model we have to put in place. It doesn't matter if you're a woman in family violence coming out of a family violence situation and trying to get yourself reorganized, or a mental health client, or a homeless client, I believe that having an advocate, having that support, that case manager, to help with the negotiation and navigating the system....

Status of Women committee  I would say increased support for programming for both men's and women's shelters around the education, so the psycho-education piece for both men and women.

Status of Women committee  And addictions. Absolutely, what Lyda is saying.... Part of coping with the trauma is addiction. There are both males and females in that population, of course, but if you look at who's on the street, you will see a lot of male aboriginals with addictions issues. We're looking at the integration of mental health and addictions services, which is being looked at across the country, but we're not there yet in Yellowknife, as far as being able to address the addictions issues in the way we need to.

Status of Women committee  There aren't other options, so we have to get over ourselves, work with each other, and negotiate.

Status of Women committee  I know I'm the newcomer, but having adult services, mental health, and family counselling, I have to work with Lyda. I don't have a choice.

Status of Women committee  I have to work with Sheila. I don't have a choice. If you're asking about what it is that we have to bottle, well, we need to have good relationships and work together, because we're it.

Status of Women committee  You asked about a “good news” story. This isn't necessarily about a victim of family violence that I'm actually aware of; it's about a young woman who's a single parent with a couple of children. She's in her early twenties and she has her mother in the picture, so her mother's able to look after the children.

Status of Women committee  I just want to refer to the anti-poverty conference that many of us were at this fall. Out of that anti-poverty conference, the issues that were identified by the aboriginal community were housing--if it's there you still can't get into it because you don't meet the criteria--the cost of food, wanting a subsidy for food, and the relationship with income support.

Status of Women committee  Can I take the other five?

Status of Women committee  Thank you. I'm the manager for Community Mental Health and Addictions for Yellowknife Health and Social Services. Community Mental Health and Addictions is made up of family counselling. Family counselling provides individual work to men and women as well as couples therapy. We do the mental health work for children for Yellowknife Health and Social Services, so 30% of our referrals are from child and family services for work with children.