At some of the bigger social agencies in Victoria, meal times can be a bit hectic.
“Some of these places, they line up, they get their meal, and they get rushed out because there is always a bigger lineup,” said Oasis outreach worker Tobias Jones.
But not at the Oasis Society for Spiritual Health on Vancouver Street.
Every Tuesday, people attending the society’s community dinners have a chance to sit and socialize, charge their phones, play foosball — and sometimes even receive a shoulder massage or two.
Jones said that for years, diners were asked three questions about their day: “What’s going right? What’s difficult and challenging? What are we grateful for?”
“A lot of them would say [that] somebody said ‘hi’, that a random stranger didn’t walk by like I was invisible,” he said.
Society executive director Karen Saini said that unlike other social agencies, Oasis solely focuses on the cultural and spiritual health of Indigenous people living on the street — though everyone is welcome at the table.
“We don’t help anyone find housing or provide counselling,” she said. “However, we do respond to trauma, multi-generational trauma and we do that through cultural-based programming.”
The society connects with a wide range of people, from Indigenous elders in long-term care to people travelling to Victoria for cancer treatment.
“For them to hear a song or a traditional story that’s from their land shared by somebody has huge impacts,” Saini said. “We’ve had people that cry over receiving a salmon lunch because it’s something they haven’t had in so long. It reminds them of home.”
Jones said through the society’s workshops, they’ve put 70 drums into the hands of homeless Indigenous people in Victoria.
For some, receiving their own drum is like regaining a part of their identity, said Jones, who is Nuu-Chah-Nulth.
“Drumming, it’s the heartbeat of the mom — the first thing the baby hears,” he said. “When they have their own drum … it’s almost like the heartbeat of their mom is back again, and they realize there’s more to life than living in a tent.”
Saini said Oasis has four full-time staff but pays honoraria to dozens of other people who act as program facilitators, speakers and mentors.
Last year, the society moved to its new location on Vancouver Street with a dedicated meeting space, which spurred a threefold increase in the number of people accessing its programs to about 1,500 a month.
The society also acquired much-needed equipment such as a commercial printer and a vehicle thanks to the province’s Community Prosperity Fund, distributed through the Victoria Foundation’s community grants program, Saini said.
“It’s the little things, but it’s huge for us,” she said.
Founded in 2006 by Margaret O’Donnell — known to many in the street community as Sister Margaret — Oasis began as a monthly retreat program to East Sooke Regional Park for homeless people living in downtown Victoria.
The society is governed by an all-Indigenous board.
On Oct. 1, Oasis is celebrating its one-year anniversary at its new offices at 1814 Vancouver St. from 4 to 7 p.m.
