In an insightful conversation with Indigenous-SME Small Business Magazine, Steve Teekens, Executive Director of Na-Me-Res, shares his deep commitment to supporting Indigenous men experiencing homelessness in Toronto. A member of the Nipissing First Nation and a tireless advocate for Indigenous rights, Steve’s leadership over his 15-year tenure at Na-Me-Res has driven numerous initiatives that provide culturally grounded outreach, housing, and health services to help Indigenous men reconnect with pride, community, and self-determination. Through Na-Me-Res’ projects, including its latest affordable housing developments and the Indigenous Primary Health Clinic, Steve and his team are paving the way for meaningful change and long-term solutions to homelessness among Toronto’s Indigenous population.
Steve Teekens
Based out of Toronto, Steve Teekens is an Ojibway, member of Nipissing First Nation, a passionate advocate for Indigenous rights and respected leader in the Indigenous community. Steve has worked with Na-Me-Res for over 15 years to provide outreach services and permanent housing to Indigenous men experiencing homelessness in Toronto; he is also a Cultural Advisor for the Public Administration and Governance Program at First Nations Technical Institute, an Indigenous-owned and -governed post-secondary institute in Ontario. Steve is a grandchild of residential school survivors, as well as a child of a parent who survived the Sixties Scoop.
Na-Me-Res
Since 1985 Toronto-based non-profit Indigenous-led organization Na-Me-Res has provided outreach, temporary, transitional and permanent housing to Indigenous men living on the streets of Toronto through a culture-based approach that addresses the holistic needs of its clients. Na-Me-Res helps Indigenous men find their way back to pride and self-determination and firmly believes that the cure for homelessness is affordable housing.
Understanding that the cure for homelessness is affordable housing, Na-Me-Res is on a mission to provide Indigenous-run safe and affordable units to their Indigenous clients who are homeless or are facing homelessness. The organization opened its third affordable housing project in July 2024 and is currently working on two more affordable housing projects as well as a men’s low-barrier shelter in collaboration with the City of Toronto, which are set to open over the next two years.
In keeping true to its mission of caring for the whole person, Na-Me-Res operates an Indigenous Primary Health Clinic called Auduzhe Mino Nesewinong, which means the Place of Healthy Breathing. Located at 22 Vaughan Road in Toronto, Auduzhe provides primary care services to the Indigenous community across Toronto.
Na-Me-Res hosts and participates in Indigenous events across Toronto and Ontario, including its annual Na-Me-Res Pow Wow, the centerpiece of the City of Toronto’s National Indigenous Peoples Day festival in June, as well as its annual Day of Remembrance ceremony on National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in September that honours the victims, survivors and the families impacted by residential schools in Canada as well as reignite calls for action on reconciliation.
Website: nameres.org Instagram: @Na_Me_Res Facebook: @NaMeResToronto
Steve, you’ve been a passionate advocate for Indigenous rights and working with marginalized communities since 1995. What inspired you to focus on helping Indigenous men, particularly those facing homelessness in Toronto?
After College I became curious about the services for homeless people in Toronto. I visited and volunteered at many drop-in centers across the city and I eventually learned about a job opportunity for a Street Outreach Worker. I applied and landed the job.
As a Street Outreach Worker I come across a lot of Indigenous peoples experiencing homelessness who were not accessing services. This is what inspired me to work with Indigenous people experiencing homelessness and other forms or marginalization. I am proud of my many years of work as a front-line worker. It enabled me to open my eyes to important issues and see the gaps in services for Indigenous people, especially for Indigenous men. It also inspired me to work hard to bridge the gaps in services and to help create better opportunities for Indigenous men.
There are not many services and organizations in Canada focused on supporting Indigenous men. In many urban centers across Canada, like Toronto, the majority of Indigenous people experiencing homelessness are men, which led me to join Na-Me-Res.
Na-Me-Res takes a unique culture-based approach to addressing the holistic needs of its clients. Can you share how this approach impacts the men you work with and why it is crucial for Indigenous-led organizations?
Na-Me-Res provides programs and services that addresses the mental, physical, emotional and spiritual aspects of a person. Unfortunately for many Indigenous people in Canada, there has been a long history of government sanctioned attempts to assimilate us into the fabric of Canada.
It is really important for Indigenous organizations like Na-Me-Res to provide cultural programs for the people we serve. Our cultural and spiritual programs help our guys to better understand themselves, to take pride in their culture and know who they are as a person. It also helps to form a sense of community, comradery and mutual, supportive healing. Our cultural approaches to healing and connection to creation are so important. It is not like we can go overseas to relearn our culture. The roots of our culture are tied these lands and cannot be found elsewhere.
With Na-Me-Res opening its third affordable housing project in July 2024 and more projects in development, what challenges and opportunities do you foresee in the future of Indigenous-run housing initiatives in Toronto?
Among the challenges to own, build/retrofit and operate deeply affordable housing in Toronto is the constant and increasing costs of land, building materials and labour. Canada has still not unveiled a National Indigenous housing strategy with the financial support and land resources that was promised three elections ago. Another challenge is the amount of time it takes to get a building permit in Toronto. It can take up to two (or more) years to get a building permit before construction can even start, especially with the number of administrative hoops a non-profit affordable housing provider has to go through.
As an Indigenous led affordable housing provider, I also find it deeply challenging to hold statutory community consultations when there are building code variances with our building designs. In every community consultation Na-Me-Res housing has held we have encountered racist ideologies from some of our neighbours and they provide a platform for vocal neighbours to express why they do not want us in their neighbourhood.
I am pleased that there are now some Indigenous funders emerging who support Indigenous affordable housing projects. However, the needs are so great in Indigenous communities for affordable housing that we still require a lot more funding.
As someone who comes from a family of residential school survivors and Sixties Scoop survivors, how does your personal history shape your leadership and the services Na-Me-Res provides to the Indigenous community?
Unfortunately, my family’s experiences with colonialism are not an uncommon one. And as result, I grew up in a town as diverse as a glass of milk and loaf of white bread. There were very few Indigenous people around. I grew more and more curious and I thirsted for more cultural knowledge which led me to discover my true identity and get connected to my Anishnawbe culture.
When it comes to my leadership style, I always try to remind myself of the seven grandfather teachings which are Anishnawbe teachings about values we should try to live by – Wisdom, Humility, Love, Bravery, Honesty, Truth and Respect. I try to live by all of them, as a First Nations man in a leadership position. I also often remind myself to be humble. I have seen many leaders forget to be humble and when that happens, people lose respect for them.
Looking ahead, what is your vision for Na-Me-Res and its role in combating homelessness and supporting Indigenous men in Toronto over the next decade?
Na-Me-Res is a critical organization in Toronto that fills in gaps in services for Indigenous men experiencing homelessness, and we will continue to fill in these gaps by providing affordable housing, shelters, and health and wrap-around services to Indigenous men.
Our new for-Indigenous, by-Indigenous primary health clinic Auduzhe Mino Nesewinong (The Place of Healthy Breathing will continue to grow and provide high quality health care for Indigenous peoples of all genders and all ages. We will continue to grow Auduzhe in order to provide culturally safe health services to the Indigenous community in need of primary health care.
Cultural supports and programming are central to doing this work effectively, for our clients and our staff. Na-Me-Res will continue to provide opportunities for our clients to connect to our culture including opportunities to participate in ceremonies, gatherings and land-based activities.
Na-Me-Res is committed to creating deeply affordable housing for Indigenous men, after all, the cure to homelessness is affordable housing. We will increase the number of housed Indigenous men by developing existing housing projects and exploring and seizing new opportunities as they become available. We currently operate three affordable housing projects in Toronto and we look forward to opening more in the coming years.
We will continue our mission to offer a healing place where our staff treat clients with kindness. We are planning to enhance and expand our services for Indigenous men – including the opening a new low-barrier shelter, accessible to more in our community – and expanding our aftercare program as we grow our affordable housing projects.
Na-Me-Res is a “for-Indigenous, by-Indigenous” non-profit determined to reduce the homelessness of Indigenous men. Over the next 10 years we will work to help even more men find their Mino Bimaadiziwin (the Good Life).
