Endacho Healing Society is building a Northern-led path to healing.
Rooted in culture. Guided by knowledge. Focused on healing.
Vision
We envision a future where Indigenous people in the NWT are strong in mind, body, spirit and emotion; are connected to their culture; and live in resilient, supportive, and healthy communities.
Guided by the values of respect, cultural strength and community wellbeing, we work toward a future where Indigenous people can heal in the North, connected to their land, community and culture.
Mission
Endacho Healing Society is working to create the first Indigenous-led Trauma Healing Lodge in the Northwest Territories. The Lodge will support people living with trauma linked to residential schools and other forms of colonial harm. The Lodge will be a safe and culturally grounded space for trauma healing that brings together Indigenous culture and Western therapeutic approaches.
Guided by Indigenous Elders, endorsed by Indigenous governments and supported by federal and territorial governments, Endacho Healing Society is working to bring culturally-relevant healing to the NWT.
Our Path
The dream of creating a Trauma Healing Lodge began in 2022, with Roy and Jean Erasmus, both certified counsellors. With support and encouragement from those who shared their vision of healthier people and communities free from trauma, they formed Endacho Healing Society.
Roy and Jean listened closely to Indigenous Elders, regional Indigenous governments, and community leaders across the North. Again and again, they heard the same message: there is a deep and urgent need for culturally safe, trauma-informed healing rooted in Indigenous knowledge.
With support from Indigenous Services Canada, EHS completed a feasibility study and business plan in 2024, setting out a clear path to build and operate the Lodge.
Since then, Endacho Healing Society has continued to work alongside Indigenous, territorial, and federal partners—strengthening relationships, refining plans, and preparing for Lodge construction and operations. Each step brings us closer to a place of healing in the North, for the North, grounded in culture, community, and care.
Endacho Healing Society (EHS) recently learned that the federal government has earmarked up to $7 million to help it build an energy efficient healing lodge in the NWT.