The Vancouver Native Health Society (VNHS) was established in 1990 with a comprehensive mission: “To improve and promote the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health of individuals, focusing on the Aboriginal community residing in greater Vancouver”. With annual revenues in excess of $4.5 million, VNHS runs the Vancouver Aboriginal Early Childhood Support Program and delivers a number of valuable community services:

• Operates a Walk-In Medical Clinic in the downtown east side of Vancouver;
• Delivers programs to address the high incidence of diabetes among Aboriginal peoples (ADAPT);
• Addresses the needs of Aboriginal persons who are HIV + with the Positive Outlook Program and the Aboriginal HIV/Hepatitis C Peer Support Project;
• Hosts and sponsors Sheway, a unique partnership with the YWCA and government serving Aboriginal Women and Children;
• Operates the Four Directions Recovery Program

With the exception of the walk-in clinic, all these programs involve home and community based service delivery. VNHS operates in Vancouver, however given the breadth of its programs and the mobility of Aboriginal people, the organization is well experienced in providing services to land based First Nations. Indeed, 76% of the Aboriginal people attending the walk-in clinic were Status Indians. The Métis population is served in all VNHS programs and services. Further, VNHS is experienced with Aboriginal children and their families not only through the Vancouver Aboriginal Early Childhood Support Program, but also through its history operating the Underage Safe Houses and the Inner City Foster Parent Program.

VNHS is an Aboriginal agency as normally defined by the Ministry of Children and Family Development. Further, the Vancouver Aboriginal Early Childhood Support Program has these same attributes – aboriginal staff reporting to aboriginal management, accountable to a largely aboriginal Board of Directors.