About Us

‘Ksan Society takes its name from a First Nations word meaning river of mist – the river of mist being the Skeena River.  ‘Ksan Society has been providing services to the community for over 40 years.  We are proud of our grassroots history and continue to respond to community need on a variety of levels. An annually elected Board of Directors provides a wide range of community perspective and ensures the direction of the society is of value to the community. 

‘Ksan Society is a charitable social service agency that provides three main areas of support in our community: Anti-violence programming, Social housing and Emergency shelters, and Food Security and Sustainability. Their programming also includes homeless prevention, harm reduction, and support recovery services.  ‘Ksan Society takes part in the Community Action Team (CAT) to address our community’s response to the overdose crisis, and the Violence Against Women in Relationships (VAWIR) committee, which is guided by a provincial VAWIR policy that aims to address systemic changes in our community to address violence in intimate partner relationships. They also co-lead the interagency case assessment team (ICAT), which supports victims of domestic violence who are at risk of serious bodily harm or death, and lead the Sexual Assault Response Advisory (SARA) committee, both of which may report to the VAWIR committee on systemic issues.  ‘Ksan is also involved in the Situation Table, a multi-service agency approach to supporting individuals and/or families facing ‘acutely elevated levels of risk (AER)’ in order to connect them to the necessary services required to address their needs, and the Homelessness Intervention Project, an inter-agency case management approach to housing those experiencing chronic homelessness.

All our services are free.

Our Locations

Our programs are primarily administered from three main service hubs.

Counselling & Support Centre - 4838 Lazelle Avenue

‘Ksan Society’s Anti-Violence Programs operate out of the C&S Centre. This includes the Transition House and Ella’s Place Second Stage Program. C&S staff can connect community members with any of ‘Ksan’s programs.

Turning Points Housing Connections - 4444 Lakelse Avenue

Our Rental Support Program, Harm Reduction, and other housing-attached support programs are administered from Turning Points. Turning Points staff can connect community members with any ‘Ksan programs, including assistance with housing applications.

‘Ksan Place - 101-2812 Hall Street

‘Ksan Place is our Food Security Programming hub, home of Food Share, lunch programs, community meals, and other food-related programs and events.

PROGRAMMING

‘Ksan Society is a charitable social service agency that provides three main areas of support in our community:

• Anti-Violence Programming:

  • Community-Based Victim Services

  • All Genders Trauma Counselling

  • Women’s Trauma Counselling

  • PEACE Program for Children & Youth

  • Women’s Outreach

  • Sexual Assault Support Services

• Social Housing and Emergency Shelters:

  • Joe’s Place - emergency shelter - for men and women

  • ‘Ksan Residence & Shelter - emergency shelter - for men and women

  • Transition House - for women and their children experiencing violence

  • Sonder House - supportive housing

  • ‘Ksan Residence Transitional Units - supportive housing

  • Ella’s Place - second stage housing for women and their children

  • Terra Nova Housing - subsidized family housing

  • Mountainview Apartments - low-income housing

  • Stone Ridge Estates - affordable housing

• Food Security and Sustainability:

  • ‘Ksan Place Greenhouse and Gardens

  • Food Share

  • Community Dinners

  • Community Luncheons

  • Food Preservation

Our supports also includes homeless prevention, harm reduction, and support recovery programs. 

community COllaborations

We also co-lead the interagency case assessment team (ICAT), which supports victims of domestic violence who are at risk of serious bodily harm or death, and lead the Sexual Assault Response Advisory (SARA) committee, both of which may report to the VAWIR committee on systemic issues. 

‘Ksan is also involved in the Situation Table, a multi-service agency approach to supporting individuals and/or families facing ‘acutely elevated levels of risk (AER) in order to connect them to the necessary services required to address their needs.

The Homelessness Intervention Project (HIP), an inter-agency case management approach to housing those experiencing chronic homelessness, was discontinued in April 2022 due to lack of housing options and a decrease in referrals. With the support of BC Housing, ‘Ksan Society is now using the Coordinated Access approach, a multi-agency committee for tenant selection of supportive housing.

A Little More

In all our programs we seek to empower the people that utilize our services to enable them to make positive choices in their lives.   As a grassroots organization we rely on community support and actively seek to inform and educate on issues relating to the imbalances within our society.  Our programs build on community capacity to address areas of high risk as many of the people they serve represent the most vulnerable of the population affected by damaging social conditions.

Our Funding

Ongoing program funding is provided by the Province of British Columbia through a number of Ministries and Crown Corporations including BC Housing, the Ministry of Public Safety & Solicitor General, Northern Health Authority, Community Gaming Grant, and the Ministry of Social Development & Poverty Reduction.  Supplemental, including project funding, comes from a variety of sources including the federal, provincial, regional, and local governments as well as public and private foundations, grant programs, and private donations.

Associations

‘Ksan Society is a member of a number of associations that provide resources, networking opportunities, and training to housing operators and social service agencies.