The CAAQ was founded in 1979 and officially inaugurated on May 17, 1981, putting the crowning touch on several years of effort to implement its operations on a permanent basis. On February 26, 1988, the CAAQ moved to a new building, which it owns. Its ultimate goal: continually improve the services provided to its clientele.

CLIENTELE

Overall, the activities of the Centre d’amitié autochtone de Québec serve an off-reserve Aboriginal clientele living within a radius of less than 20 km from downtown Quebec City. The CAAQ provides social services to this same resident clientele as well as to Aboriginal people who come to Quebec City requiring temporary accommodations. This temporary clientele comes in particular from: :

• The Lower and Middle North Shore regions and the Saguenay—Lac-St-Jean regions
  (Innu communities and the Naskapi community).
• The Centre-du-Québec region (Atikamekw, Algonquin and Abenaki communities).
• Quebec City and the Lower-St. Lawrence region (Malecite and Huron communities).

In addition, Aboriginal people from the Cree, Innu and Micmac communities come to Quebec City on a temporary basis, but much less often than people from the above-mentioned communities due to linguistic and geographical factors. The CAAQ also serves a significant Métis population in the Quebec City region.

OVERVIEW OF PROGRAMS AND SERVICES

• Umeshkanam (homelessness program)
  This homelessness prevention program is for clients at risk of being forced into the street. Risk factors include poverty, substance abuse, violence, lack of a place to stay, malnutrition, crime, etc. In its work with this urban Aboriginal clientele, the program’s team has the mandate to detect, inform, build awareness among, refer and intervene with at risk persons.
• Mitshem – Moisson Québec (food and clothing bank)
  This service offers food items and clothing to off-reserve Aboriginal people living below the poverty threshold. It also provides related activities such as community meals, collective kitchens, distribution of Christmas baskets, budget management workshops, etc.
• Day centre/Café Roreke
  During the year, all programs made use of the day centre for various objectives. The objective of Café Roreke is to create profits through its meal services and its catering service. In doing so, it provides at the same time training in restaurant entrepreneurship (cooking, management and table service).
• À l’Unisson (Community Action Program for Children)
  This program offers psycho-educational services to Aboriginal children presenting behavioural troubles and/or learning difficulties. It also provides parents with support in acquiring or maintaining parental skills. Through their actions, the CAPC coordinator and worker are able to detect families experiencing difficulties with violence.
• Homework Assistance Program
  This program is intended exclusively for off-reserve Aboriginal children who present learning difficulties or are at risk of developing such difficulties.
• Auassiss (early childhood/childcare centre)
  This program promotes children’s overall and harmonious development in the following dimensions: socio-affective, moral, language, intellectual, physical and motor skill dimensions. Its childcare services give priority to Aboriginal children and through the reduced contribution program for child placement, the centre is able to take in, on a daily basis, 30 children aged 0 to 59 month.
• Kanikantet Centre (Cultural Connections for Aboriginal Youth)
  This program serves off-reserve Aboriginal youths by providing them with a variety of activities that meet their needs in specific areas such as sports and recreation; health and social services; employment, training and education; and culture. Social activities are also included in the program. The Kanikantet Centre is for Aboriginal youths aged 10 to 29.
• Aminet Centre
  This is a free Internet access site for Aboriginal people, allowing them to navigate or search the Internet. People can also use the site for data processing.
• Pashit Program (Aboriginal Youths in Action)
  This program promotes employment insertion and maintenance for young adults who are aged 18 to 24 and are experiencing significant socio-occupational difficulties preventing them from joining the labour market within the short or medium terms.
• Atshimashk (Hepatitis C prevention, support and research program)
  This program involves improving knowledge and awareness in the urban Aboriginal population concerning the dangers and risks associated with Hepatitis C. By getting the message through about good prevention practices and by encouraging people to modify their at-risk behaviours, the program seeks to prevent the transmission of the HCV in the urban Aboriginal population. The program also involves creating mutual help networks to assist people with Hepatitis C along with their families and other people close to them.  
• Cœur à l’action pour les aînés du Québec (program to support elders in Quebec City)
  The objective of this program is to give elders living in the urban setting opportunities to meet and speak with one another and to take part in physical activities, by way of three ongoing monthly activities.
• Puniku (Federal Anti-Smoking Strategy)
  This project is made up of two components. The first component involves supporting the 18-29 year-olds in quitting smoking (the major part of the project), while the second component consists in building awareness among the 10-17 year-olds of the importance in not starting to smoke.
• Housing program
  The Auberge du Cap au Nord is a housing centre with the mission to provide temporary accommodations to Aboriginal people in transit in Quebec City for healthcare services over the short, medium or long term and to those who are living in the city and require emergency housing. The Auberge is located at 1177 Chemin Ste-Foy in Quebec City.
• Housing assistance
  The Corporation Domaine Dubuisson is a non-profit organization with four (4) housing units under the name of Domaine Dubuisson and located at 66 Maurice-Barthe in Quebec City. These housing units for low-income families are supervised by the Centre d’amitié autochtone de Québec.

CULTURAL ACTIVITIES

Maintain a place for meeting and sharing through social, cultural and sports activities (e.g., National Aboriginal Day, Christmas for elders, Christmas for young people, ‘open house’ days, etc.). These activities foster the integration of Aboriginal people who have left their home communities and help build bridges with the local population.

Through our arts and crafts shop, we promote the sale of Aboriginal products and encourage artists. We also organize an annual exhibition-sale before Christmas.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Jocelyne Gros-Louis, Executive Director
Centre d'amitié autochtone de Québec
234, rue Louis IX
Québec (Québec)
G2B 1L4
Telephone : 418-843-5818
Fax: 418-843-8960
Email : This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it