Okanagan Nation Transition Emergency House
What is ONTEH
The Okanagan Nation Transition/Emergency House (ONTEH) is a safe, secure place where families from the Okanagan Nation can get help when dealing with family crisis.
The purpose of the ONTEH project is to:
- Provide a safe, supportive environment for Women and Children from the Okanagan Nation.
- Respond to a need for more resources and supportive mechanisms for people who want to make positive changes for themselves and their children.
- To provide programming for Families in crisis.
How ONTEH Came To Be:
The Social Development Department of Penticton Indian Band had already entertained the concept of providing a ‘Safe House’ for community members who are experiencing a period of crisis or transition, and so the idea to provide such a House was born.
In response to the Mandate of the Aboriginal Healing Foundation, the ONTEH Project began to take shape.
A group of interested community members began to meet regularly to discuss exactly how the Project would respond to the NEEDS of the community. Letters were sent out to our neighboring communities in request of support, and the response was overwhelmingly positive!
A proposal was submitted to the Aboriginal Healing Foundation, requesting funding for a minimum of two years of operating dollars in August of 2000.
The project experienced some setbacks during the 2001 and was resurrected when, in the fall of 2002, Karen Terbasket brought forward some information relating to capital funding.
The ONTEH Project has definitely experienced some barriers over the past two years, however the proposal is now in the “Contract Stage”, and we expect the project to be in full operation by the fall of 2004.
(If we believe that failure is not an option and continue to strive toward our goal, it will happen.)
The Mission of ONTEH
The purpose of the Okanagan Nation Transition/Emergency House Program is to provide a safe and secure environment for Aboriginal women and children who are experiencing abuse.
The ONTEH Program recognizes the Historical Trauma experienced by the First Nations who attended the Residential Schools, and the children and grandchildren of those who attended the Residential Schools.
The ONTEH Program will work to build healthier communities within the Okanagan Nation by:
- Operating a Transition/Emergency House which honors First Nations women and respects their experiences.
- Provide Culturally Sensitive programming to help with the entire family to deal with issues they are facing.
- Offering a supportive environment for Aboriginal women and children to explore their personal choices.
- Provide individual and community education to assist in exploring the prevention of future abuses.
Who Is Eligible For This Service?
All Aboriginal Women and Children living in the Okanagan Nation Territory are eligible to participate in this program
Referrals will be made to the ONTEH facility from the Social Development of Health Departments of each Okanagan Nation Community.
The ONTEH Program will work in cooperation with a number of other local community resource facilities, to ensure that clients receive a full range of Healing opportunities.
What Makes The ONTEH Programs Special?
The Okanagan Nation Transition/Emergency House will address some of the key issues facing Aboriginal Women and Children who are experiencing abuse.
One of the major issues to be incorporated in the ONTEH program is to provide a strong cultural element to the delivery of services.
The ONTEH facility will employ fully trained First Nations staff to deliver the service.
Community Education will play a huge role in the delivery of programs to reduce violence and abuse.
The ONTEH Program will endeavor to support women and children who want to reconnect with family members who have been separated.
The ONTEH program will fulfill this by providing goal specific programs such as; Community Education, Parenting, Children Who Witness Abuse, Individual Counseling and Cultural Programs.
The Okanagan Nation Transition/Emergency House will provide a safe, supportive environment for Aboriginal Women and Children to explore some of the personal choices they have made in the past, and to help incorporate positive changes for the future of out communities and Nation.
Ultimately, what makes this service special are the people and communities of the Okanagan Nation.
This program comes as a response to the sincere requests for service from our own community members in addition to many non-aboriginal organizations who have also requested more culturally sensitive programming to accent their services.
May this program answer their request in a holistic and caring manner.
Contact Number
(250) 493-4902
A support worker will return your call as soon as possible.
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