About

Our story

Pad8ban Home was born from a very real need: to offer Indigenous women and children experiencing violence a place that is safe, welcoming and suited to their realities.

Following a Canada-wide call for proposals to develop new Indigenous shelter resources, a project led by a First Nations community in Québec was selected to bring this new resource to life.

From the start, Pad8ban Home was designed to serve beyond its own region: to welcome women and children from all Nations in Québec, with respect for their cultures, their realities and their journeys.

The Pad8ban Home was also built specifically for its mission. Its spaces were designed from the outset to give women and children a safe, warm and confidential place where they can catch their breath and begin a path of rebuilding and healing.

An identity shaped by the community

The Pad8ban Home’s story is still being written. Even before it opened, community members were invited to take part in an important step: choosing the name the shelter would carry.

Proposals in an Indigenous language will be submitted to them, and the Pad8ban Home’s name will be chosen by a community vote.

More than a name, this new identity will reflect the Pad8ban Home’s cultural roots and the wish for the community to remain part of its story.

Our mission

To welcome, protect and support Indigenous women and children experiencing intimate partner or family violence, by offering them a safe, warm and culturally grounded place, along with the time and support they need to move toward healing.

Our support doesn’t stop at the Pad8ban Home’s doors. We also support women experiencing violence who don’t need shelter, as well as those continuing on their path after a stay with us.

Every woman is welcomed where she is, with respect for her story, her choices, her pace and her culture.

Our vision

A haven today. An anchor for tomorrow.

First, we want to be a safe, warm and deeply human place, where every woman and every child finds protection, a listening ear, respect and support.

Over time, we also hope to contribute to something larger: to become an anchor where knowledge, experience and resources on family violence and Indigenous paths to healing can be gathered and shared.

A place where culture is a strength, where healing can take the time it needs, and where no one has to walk their path alone.

Our values

Grounding

Standing firm in what brings us together: welcoming, protecting and supporting. Grounding means offering a steady, reassuring presence, while staying flexible enough to adapt to each woman, each child and each reality.

Courage

Courage takes many forms. Asking for help, asking a question, walking through a door or simply admitting that something is wrong can take an enormous amount of courage. For us, being courageous also means knowing how to listen, questioning ourselves and recognizing when we still have things to learn.

Cultural humility

We welcome each woman as the expert on her own identity and experience. Cultural safety can't be decided for her. It is built through listening, respect, curiosity and the recognition that we always have something to learn from the people, Nations and communities we support.

Trust

Trust is built one gesture at a time. It grows from a reliable presence, words that are kept, and the chance to be welcomed without judgment. We know that trusting a person, a resource or an institution can be hard. That's why we never take that trust for granted.

Graphic element: Safety AND freedom · Urgency AND patience · Structure AND flexibility · Professionalism AND human closeness · Western knowledge AND Indigenous knowledge

Our team

A team that is present, committed and human.

At the Pad8ban Home, women with different backgrounds, experiences and knowledge work together to welcome, support and care for the women and children who reach out to us.

Our team includes support workers, youth workers and teachers, as well as people working in reception, administration and support services for the Pad8ban Home.

Whoever you meet, you’ll find someone who will listen and help you figure out what comes next.