Saskatoon, SK — Martina Delorme has a smile to be proud of again, thanks to the Saskatoon Tribal Council’s īkwēskīcik iskwēwak program.
“Looking good is feeling good, right?” she said, while showing off a beaming grin she’s rediscovered since getting some dental work done.
It’s all part of the full spectrum of support offered at īkwēskīcik iskwēwak, a name in Cree meaning “women turning their lives around.”
The program provides up to 18 months of transitional housing and supports for women with a history of repeat incarceration for non-violent offences.
Support includes everything from managing addictions and accessing health care, to getting ID, housing, education and employment.
“They pretty much help you get set with everything you need when you get out in the world,” Delorme explained.
Martina came to īkwēskīcik iskwēwak from the Pine Grove Correctional Centre. She said she almost didn’t agree to attend the first meeting with STC staff trying to bring her into the program, but said she’s thankful she changed her mind.
Being in the program since July “really brought out the person who I’m meant to be,“ she added.
Now 49 years old, Martina said it’s time to leave the cycle of poverty, homelessness, addictions and jail behind.
“I’ve been waiting for a break like this my whole life. I’ve been praying to the Creator to help me find a way to a better living, and an honest living and to get my life together,” she said.
With the progress she’s made since arriving at Īkwēskīcik iskwēwak, Martina said she’s feeling ready to pursue her dreams, starting with education.
“It’s never too late to get educated, or to change your life around. It’s just when you decide, and when you’re ready; you can’t be forced to do it,” she said.
Now that she’s able to picture herself succeeding, Martina is figuring out where to focus her energy; she’s interested in everything from learning a trade, to a career helping Elders, or becoming an advocate for other women still caught up in the justice system.
She said she has a longer-term goal of getting a house where she can live with her two children, a teenage son and a daughter headed to university.
“I’m just so ready for life. Good things are happening and coming my way, and I believe it’s all because of STC,” she said.
A DIFFERENT APPROACH
Martina said she’s experienced “the bare minimum” in other programs she’s taken part in over the years.
It’s been a different story at īkwēskīcik iskwēwak, where staff “really go all-out for everything good that you need, all positive and to get us healthy and help us find stability and show us how to be independent,” she said.
Originally from the Cowessess First Nation, Martina said regular contact with Elders, traditional ceremonies, arts and crafts have helped her stay committed to being the best version of herself.
“That’s something we all need to do: to actually find the roots of our culture and who we are,” she said.
Along with the independence of having a private living space and kitchenette, īkwēskīcik iskwēwak offers an environment of mutual support, with many opportunities for group activities and classes, Martina said.
“A women’s wellness group – that’s what we are, more or less,” she explained, while describing the sense of sisterhood that comes from movie nights, bowling, river floats, walks and other healthy activities arranged by the program.
Expectations are high for women staying at īkwēskīcik iskwēwak, but Martina said the rules and regulations are fair, and relatives are treated with respect and compassion while being held accountable.
“It’s like, ‘let’s work on what happened, and why it happened.’ They find solutions to help us with our addictions and with our problems,” she said.
PROGRAM CONTINUES BUILDING SINCE LAUNCH
Martina’s story is among the early successes for a program working with relatives who often face difficult and challenging situations.
Indigenous women in Saskatchewan are incarcerated at a rate nearly 30 times higher than non-Indigenous women, according to over-representation index data published by Statistics Canada in July 2023.
Having opened its doors in April 2023, īkwēskīcik iskwēwak seeks to address over-incarceration by tackling root causes, including homelessness, addictions and lack of access to education and employment opportunities.
īkwēskīcik iskwēwak is staffed with reintegration and support workers, a registered psychiatric nurse, wellness worker/mental health therapist and two Elders. The facility is also visited regularly by a designated probation officer, and all relatives have a health profile with assessments completed in-house.
As of the end of December 2024, there were 18 women in īkwēskīcik iskwēwak housing. Of these, 14 women were receiving addictions supports offered on-site, and 10 were receiving mental health supports. Eight women were referred to addictions programming offered by the Saskatchewan Health Authority and seven were referred to SHA mental health programs.
īkwēskīcik iskwēwak was opened thanks to a partnership with the Government of Canada, the Government of Saskatchewan, the City of Saskatoon and Saskatoon Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP).
“Whether it’s health, education, child welfare or justice – First Nations people have too often been let down in the past by systems that weren’t built for them,” STC Tribal Chief Mark Arcand said.
“With īkwēskīcik iskwēwak, we see governments supporting a better way forward; First Nations-led programming, delivered to First Nations people according to First Nations principles,” Arcand added.
Nearing the end of its first 18 months in operation, the program will continue to be assessed and improved to deliver even more positive results.
“First Nations culture places women at the centre of healthy families. As we help more of our mothers, sisters, and daughters come back to us, we will see the entire community benefit,” Arcand said.
