Community organizations and First Nations came together to host a cultural healing "fire" at Moccasin Flats Wednesday, which saw about 300 people attend.
“We hold cultural healing fires and we have been doing them every month. This is our bigger event but we have been doing them every few months to support the unhoused community,” explained Misia Slugocki, a wellness worker with Carrier Sekani Family Services in mental health and addiction recovery.
Despite the name of the event, no actual fire was lit at this particular time due to the current ban and instead branches were placed where the fire would normally be held.
“We are making sure that they are getting the support they need and making sure that they are meeting the people that they need to meet. They may not know where to go otherwise as some of them are new to the downtown.”
The event was hosted by Uniting Northern Drug Users (UNDU) and included partners like Carrier Sekani Family Services as well as UHNBC drummers, Tl’azt’en First Nation, Saik’uz First Nation, Aboriginal Housing Society of Prince George and PGNAETA.
Harm reduction supplies were available as well as hamburgers, hot dogs, iced tea, water, coffee, salmon and treats along with traditional drumming and singing.
“We had lots of community donations as well that came through, so it's just been a partnership of a bunch of us, and it's just been a lovely wonderful thing of community between everybody putting in a lot of work.”
Slugocki also added it’s important to remember to treat the unhoused community with compassion.
“They're people just like we are and you know, they're here for various reasons. It's not always drugs and alcohol and we have lots of different people with mental health issues,” she said.
“There's so many different factors into why they're here and housed and why they're on the streets and just to be mindful of that they're just people just like us.”
