What works is simple: indigenous-led approaches to mental health and addiction services. Friendship centres are working.
In terms of Ontario policy, we've been a long-standing partner of the Ontario government in shaping public policy to improve outcomes for indigenous people. However, there's a lot of work to do in terms of funding and supportive policy.
We know that friendship centres, through their range of services, improve outcomes for the people who access services. Over the last two years, 332 individuals have improved life skills through community-based programs. Five hundred seventy-one individuals talked about improved family relationships, and 300 had a stronger cultural connection. Those who maintain stronger cultural connections—they understand who they are, where they come from and what their responsibilities are as indigenous people—show improved health outcomes, broadly speaking.