By Patrick Quinn, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Nation As the national friendship centre movement expands to support Canada\u2019s growing urban Indigenous population, the National Association of Friendship Centres (NAFC) is facing funding uncertainty that risks cutbacks to vital community services. \u201cWe\u2019re trying to show what friendship centres are contributing,\u201d said new NAFC CEO Jennifer Rankin. \u201cIt\u2019s repositioning ourselves as an economic partner by telling how many jobs we\u2019re creating, infrastructure projects we\u2019re involved in, the emergency response we\u2019re providing.\u201d While the NAFC requested $65 million annually in long-term funding, the federal government has indicated that funding will be less than half of previous years, when it reached over $70 million. Core funding provided through the Urban Programming for Indigenous Peoples (UPIP) program since 2017 is expiring after the March… <\/p>\n
By Patrick Quinn, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Nation As the national friendship centre movement expands to support Canada\u2019s growing urban Indigenous population, the National Association of Friendship Centres (NAFC) is facing funding uncertainty that risks cutbacks to vital community services. \u201cWe\u2019re trying to show what friendship centres are contributing,\u201d said new NAFC CEO Jennifer Rankin. \u201cIt\u2019s repositioning ourselves as an economic partner by telling how many jobs we\u2019re creating, infrastructure projects we\u2019re involved in, the emergency response we\u2019re providing.\u201d While the NAFC requested $65 million annually in long-term funding, the federal government has indicated that funding will be less than half of previous years, when it reached over $70 million. Core funding provided through the Urban Programming for Indigenous Peoples (UPIP) program since 2017 is expiring after the March... <\/p>\n