Inuit VAW Shelter
The Need
Did you know that the Inuit population is the fastest-growing Indigenous group in Ottawa? Ottawa is establishing the first Violence Against Women shelter for Inuit women and their children – south of Inuit Nunangat.
What We Did
The Ottawa Aboriginal Coalition, in collaboration with Inuuqatigiit Centre for Inuit Children, Youth and Families, Inuit Non-Profit Housing, and Minwaashin Lodge, has secured funding from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation and Indigenous Services Canada to establish a 30-bed shelter for Inuit women in Ottawa. The shelter has secured operational funding of $1.8M annually for 20 years from indigenous Services Canada. The City of Ottawa contributing the land for the shelter.
The Inuit VAW shelter will provide culturally appropriate and trauma informed services and supports for Inuit women and their children as they restore their strength and heal.
Design of the Building
Cleansing of the Ground
On October 16th, 2025 the OAC “cleansed the ground” for the Inuit VAW shelter. Many of our partners were with us for this important day including: Fotenn – Planning, Urban Design and Landscape Architecture, McDonald Brothers Construction (MBC), LGA Architectual Partners, Formline Architcure and Urbanism, the City of Ottawa, CMHC and Indigenous Services Canada.
The ceremony was led by Inuit Elders. We heard from Inuit throat singers, Counsellor Jessica Bradley. OAC co-chairs Mary Daoust and Mikki Adams and Inuit women who have been working on this project and are part of the Inuit VAW Shelter Advisory Committee.
About the Inuit VAW Shelter
Purpose
The shelter will offer culturally relevant and trauma-informed services to help Inuit women and their children regain their strength and heal.
Community Member Workshops
The OAC has held four community workshops since over the last year where Inuit women have provided advice on creating the Inuit VAW shelter in Ottawa. These workshops have guided the architects in what we are collectively creating to support the Ottawa Inuit community.
Click on an agenda or report below to see more about the workshops. More workshop reports coming soon.
Inuit VAW Shelter Advisory Committee
Since early 2025 the Inuit VAW Shelter Advisory committee – a group of Inuit women- have met every other month to guide the work and direction of the shelter. They have reviewed the materials provided by the architects and offered comments. They have also reviewed the workshop feedback and provided further direction on staffing and programming. On May 5th, 2026, as part of the Red Dress Day event at City Hall, the VAW Inuit Advisory committee were honoured for their work on the project.
What's Next
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Participating in the Forestglade Park renewal on July 6th, 2026
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Next community workshop is July 21st, 2026.
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Construction continues.
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Hiring of the senior management team in early Fall of 2026.
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OAC Career Fair on October 14th, 2026 will be actively focused on hiring for the Inuit VAW Shelter.
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Full staff team to be hired for January 2027 and three months of program development and training.
Construction Updates
Check back to see more updates of the VAW shelter's building progress.
