BRISC-Brantford

Brantford Region Indigenous Support Centre providing advocacy, social, cultural, and educational programming. Programs Include:

- Criminal Court - assists offenders to better understand their rights, options, and responsibilities when appearing before the court. Assists adults and youth charged with criminal offenses to navigate the court processes

- Family & Combined Court - helps navigate Indi

genous youth, adults, and families through criminal court, family court and child services.

- Indigenous Mental Health and Wellness - provides a holistic and culturally grounded approach to support the needs of mental health and addictions for Indigenous people and their families. Implements programs to improve the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being of both clients and their families that are culturally based and foster the learning of self-respect and identity.

- Cultural Resources - provides access to cultural knowledge by fostering positive Indigenous identity essential to well being and resilience. Services are culturally reflective and prevention-focused, with a focus on maintaining cultural connections to identity, knowledge, traditions, ceremonies, education, awareness, training, and traditional support.

- Apatisiwin - provides services to Indigenous youth and adults in employment counselling, job preparations (application processing, resume/cover letter assistance, referrals to agencies, etc), purchase of training, apprenticeship skills training, and training supports.

- Indigenous Healing and Wellness - assists individuals to access services, provide crisis intervention, offers traditional supports, provides peer counselling to community members impacted by violence. Services are available on a one-to-one basis or in a group setting

- Indigenous Mental Health Peer Support -provides networks of support and mentorship to Urban Indigenous people under community supervision orders as they seek to improve their mental health, reduce any harms associated with their behaviours, avoid justice system recidivism, and pursue a Good Mind. Past Programs
- Pandemic Relief - program aimed at reducing effects of the pandemic, by providing assistance to our community members, through the provision of monthly food hampers, cleaning supplies and activity supplies for younger family members. Hopefully as we return to normal there will be no further need. Services provided under this program ceased to be available effective March 31, 2022.
- Social Services Relief Program - Funding was received in September 2021 for a short term program aimed at assisting our community members who were homeless and housing allowances.