Our Work on Our Terms: NiGiNan’s Culturally-Based Approach to Homelessness Prevention

NiGiNan Housing Ventures is an Indigenous-led organization serving individuals with complex medical and social needs who are often described as the ‘hardest to house’.

Founded by 7 Indigenous women, NiGiNan’s decolonized approach to services centres the importance of culture and Ceremony, people-first relationships, Land, community care, and lived experience.

Watch this panel discussion to learn about the origins of NiGiNan and the inspiring work they are doing to prevent Indigenous homelessness across generations! Panelists shared insights on how their lived experience grounds their work and the unique lessons they have learned from NiGiNan’s culturally-based approach to addressing homelessness in Alberta.

Learn more about our host and panelists below!

HOST

COHEN PINKOSKI is a Research Assistant on Indigenous Homelessness at the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness. He is a Dene youth with roots in the North West Territories and a dedicated housing advocate based in Toronto. Currently studying social work, Cohen is committed to supporting the Indigenous community, with past experience as a housing worker, researcher, and traditional food-sovereignty and ceremony programmer. Cohen has a strong foundation in harm reduction and focuses on mental health and housing needs. He is passionate about creating supportive and inclusive environments and continually strive to drive positive change within the community.

PANELISTS

CHRISTINE DAVIES is an Indigenous woman who grew up in Treaty 6 Territory. Christine has personal lived experience of houselessness, substance use, mental health, prison systems, domestic violence and intergenerational trauma. Christine uses her own life experiences to share, inspire and advocate for the most vulnerable populations within Edmonton. Christine is currently the Housing Program Manager, overseeing at Niginan Housing Ventures, overseeing Pimatisiwin, Mcarthur, Ambrose, Omamoo Wango Gamik and the Persons with Developmental Disabilities program working with Edmonton’s most complex and hard to house community. Prior to working at Niginan Housing Ventures, Christine started working in the housing sector as a frontline support worker seven years ago. From there Christine grew into leadership roles by leading with love and compassion. Christine has a strong passion for lived experience leadership and loves to share her story to inspire community. Christine is a mother to three beautiful children and 2 dogs and is a wife to her husband who also has his own journey he has overcome. During her free time Christine loves to publicly speak, spend time with friends, family and community, go to the gym/yoga and watch true crime shows.

JESSIE MOLODY is from a small town in the Treaty 19 territory of Southern Ontario, ancestral home of the Anishinaabe peoples. As a Site Manager, Jessie acknowledges the importance of allyship when working with vulnerable communities within an Indigenous-Led organization. Working with Niginan since 2021, Jessie started as a frontline worker, and has used her lived experience and passion for mental health to give back to communities that have been affected by colonization and systemic oppression. Having struggled with mental health diagnosis herself, she has always believed that unconditional love can promote healing and wellness in ways that are often missed by colonial systems. Using the four natural laws of Kindness, Honesty, Sharing and Strength, Jessie shows the important role that allies play in the reconciliation process within Canada.

SARAH RADLEY is a 40-year-old Indigenous Mohawk woman from the Oka Reserve in Ontario. She is the Site Manager for Niginan Housing Ventures, where she brings compassionate leadership and lived experience to her work supporting vulnerable populations. With over 20 years in recovery, Sarah has overcome challenges including substance use, homelessness, and domestic abuse. These experiences fuel her passion for the human services field and her deep commitment to giving back. Grounded in resilience and empathy, she meets people where they are, offering support, understanding, and hope to those navigating their own paths to healing.