National Collaborating Centre for Determinants of Health

Friendship Centres are Canada’s most significant off-reserve Indigenous service delivery infrastructure and are the primary providers of culturally enhanced programs and services to urban Indigenous residents. For over half a century Friendship Centres have been facilitating the transition of Indigenous people from rural, remote, and reserve life to an urban environment. For many Indigenous people, Friendship Centres are the first point of contact to obtain referrals to culturally-based socio-economic programs and services.