Nunavik partners with Cité Joie to provide temporary housing
Partnership offers four beds, as the region faces a shortage of supportive housing
The Nunavik Regional Board of Health and Social Services is partnering with non-profit Cité Joie, whose facilities are pictured here, to offer respite care and transitional housing to Nunavimmiut in need of specialized support. (Photo courtesy of Cité Joie)
The Nunavik Regional Board of Health and Social Services has partnered with a non-profit to provide Nunavimmiut living with disability, autism or mental health conditions the opportunity to stay at a camp outside Quebec City that meets their needs.
The agreement with Cité Joie covers respite stays for up to one month and temporary housing for stays of one month to one year, for individuals who meet eligibility requirements.
The facility in Lac-Beauport, just outside Quebec City, has seven rooms, a shared living room, a kitchen and a full-time nurse on site, said Olivier Piquer, Cité Joie’s director general. It’s located in a forested area with open green spaces and a lake. There are structured activities for visitors during their stay.
“During our discussions with the regional authority, they were looking for a setting that resembled the Nunavik environment; something close to nature and deeply connected to it,” he said Tuesday in a French interview.
“People would be able to be independent in their rooms while having a living environment that is small and easy to live in.”
The partnership comes as the Nunavik faces a shortage of transitional and supportive housing for people who need specialized support, the board said in an email.
About 38 Nunavimmiut are currently waiting to access housing that better meets their needs.
The health board said the partnership is intended as a temporary measure while longer term, culturally safe housing and support services are developed in the region.
The organization is working with the board to adapt the décor, food and activities to Inuit culture. Plans include incorporating Inuit crafts and outdoor activities such as fishing, Piquer said.
“Residents are here to receive respite and we’re here to provide that respite, but we’re also here to learn with them,” he said, adding that the first residents arrived sometime in late July, early August.
Piquer said the partnership’s success would be measured by how well the residents integrate into the Cité Joie community while maintaining their cultural identity and individual needs.
The health board echoed that sentiment, adding that success would also mean getting people the housing and support they need in a timely way.
The partnership costs $800,000 over two years, said the health board.
Very interesting initiative. Quick observation, the organizations website does not have an English button to view content in that language. Only French available and if Nunavimmiut want to learn more, or if their family members will be going there, it would make sense to have the website in English as well.