This page lists some resources relating to perinatal mental health and organizations within Montreal that provide health, social and cultural services for Indigenous peoples.
Perinatal Mental Health Resources
First Nations and Inuit Hope for Wellness Help Line
This helpline is toll-free and available 24/7 for any members of the Indigenous community in need of support. It offers immediate mental health counselling and crisis intervention to all Indigenous peoples across Canada. Support is available in English, Inuktitut (Nunatsiavut, Nunavik and Nunavut dialect) Obijay, and Plains Cree. A online-chatting service is also available.
Phone Number: 1-855-242-3310
Crisis Services Canada
The Canada Suicide Prevention Service is the most reliable support organization for suicide prevention in Canada. Their toll-free hotline is available 24/7, for anyone who is considering suicide, or is in need of support for any issue related to depression. This service can also help re-direct people to local, more narrowly oriented resources, for their particular needs.
Phone Number: 1-833-456-4566
Indigenous Health, Social & Cultural Services
Avataq
The Avataq Cultural Institute is the Inuit cultural organization of Nunavik. With offices in both Montreal and Inukjuak, the Institute aims to foster the development of the living culture of today’s Inuit through cultural activities, special events and educational courses.
Native Montreal
Native Montreal is another central organization for Indigenous services in Montreal. Offering more than a dozen programs and services, Native Montreal’s mission is to promote the development of Indigenous culture, provide quality services in the domains of health, education and economic development.
Ivirtivik Centre South
The Ivirtivik Centre South is part of the Ivirtivik Organization, which is an employability and skills development initiative for Inuits of 18 years and older. It helps participants connect to the community through concrete activities that combine their values, talents and preferences. Located in Verdun, Montreal, the Ivirtivik Centre South works with Inuits to help them integrate the workforce or return to school.
Native Women’s Shelter of Montreal
The Shelter offers a safe environment to support Indigenous women and their children who may be in difficulty. They offer frontline services, such as food and clothing, help with finding housing, counseling and therapy, with the goal to empower women to become autonomous and live a more balanced life.
Native Friendship Center of Montreal
The Native Friendship Center of Montreal is a non-profit organization that serves all Indigenous communities in Montreal. It seeks to assist individuals who are making the transition or pass through the urban community, by providing them access and/or referrals to different resources and services in the city, including health, social services, legal information, education, training and employment referrals.
Southern Quebec Inuit Association
The Southern Quebec Inuit Association (SQIA) offers a platform to unite Southern Quebec Inuit, in order to assist with community development by advocating for, promoting and celebrating the Inuit language, traditions, and way of life. Their objectives include the improvement of living conditions of Southern Quebec Inuit in the domains of health and justice, and to be an information hub and place of discussion and sharing of information on issues that are of concern to Southern Quebec Inuit.