How We Live
“Our people lived as a part of everything. We were so much a part of nature, we were just like the birds, the animals, the fish. We were like the mountains. Our people lived that way. We knew there was an intelligence, a strength, a power, far beyond ourselves. We knew that everything here didn’t just happen by accident. We believed there was a reason for it being here. There was a force, a strength, a power somewhere that was responsible for it. That is the way our people lived. They lived according to that belief, according to that knowledge. The universe lies before you…”
DAVID ELLIOTT SR. (SALTWATER PEOPLE, SCHOOL DISTRICT 63 (SAANICH, 1990)
Our Mission
QomQem works to offer Indigenous harm reduction, housing supports and wellness services to Indigenous peoples who are unhoused, precariously housed and who may be using substances. QomQem also supports people who are working towards wellness or recovery and who have been incarcerated in the near past. We work to connect with, learn from and maintain relationships with local nations in whose territories we are doing Indigenous harm reduction and housing work.
Our Vision
QomQem Coastal Connections envisions a strong and healthy urban Indigenous community that is inclusive of people who are unhoused, precariously housed, who may be using substances, or who are on their wellness/recovery journey. We work to support our relatives and friends from the Street Community to reconnect to their teachings and culture. By offering Indigenous harm reduction, access to cultural healing with no stigma and by building relationships with one another, we hope to contribute to the community that we walk alongside.