Urban Land-Based Healing: A Northern Intervention Strategy

Urban Indigenous populations face significant health and social disparities across Canada. With high rates of homelessness and substance use, there are often few options for urban Indigenous Peoples to access land-based healing programs despite the increasingly known and appreciated benefits. In May 2018, the first urban land-based healing camp opened in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada, one of the first to our knowledge in Canada or the United States. This camp may serve as a potential model for an Indigenous-led and Indigenous-based healing camp in an urban setting. We present preliminary outcome data from the healing camp in a setting with a high-risk population struggling with substance use and homelessness. Reflections are presented for challenging logistical and methodological considerations for applications elsewhere. This northern effort affords us ample opportunity for expanding the existing knowledge base for land- based healing applied to an urban Indigenous high-risk setting.