ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

DSS Land Acknowledgment and Commitment to Indigenous Social Justice

The mandate of Dignity Seniors Society (DSS) is to support 2SLGBTQI+ seniors across the territories of British Columbia, and being such, we acknowledge that we are visiting and operating on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of all British Columbia’s Indigenous peoples. Further to this, DSS recognizes the cultural genocide inflicted on BC’s Indigenous peoples through colonial systems of rule and domination. Specifically, how the religious impacts of colonial rule decimated many cultural aspects of Two Spirit peoples in BC. DSS recognizes the need for a significant connection with Indigenous peoples and communities so that Indigenous perspectives and knowledge are inherent within the work of DSS in BC. DSS actively encourages self-identified Indigenous individuals to join our board of directors and our volunteer and staff team to support our work with 2S and Indigenous communities.  

The term Indigenous is used intentionally, as literature indicates it is a term that is inclusive of Aboriginal or First Nations, Metis, and Inuit peoples of Canada. Indigenous Peoples is generally used in an international context. DSS has placed ‘2S’ at the beginning of “LGBTQI+” to acknowledge the importance of the Two-Spirit members of our community during the ongoing process of reconciliation in Canada. DSS asks all directors and volunteers to commit to learning about the history of residential schools and the continuing effects of colonization on the Indigenous peoples of Canada, and the country as a whole. We use 2S as an umbrella term inclusive of all LGBTQ+ Indigenous and Indiqueer people.

ACKNOWLEDGING YOUR SUPPORT

Thank You To Our Supporters, Donors and Funders

Dignity Seniors Society was originally the Dignity House Advisory Committee (DHAC) which was founded as a Master of Social Work project of Alex Sangha in September 2012. We thank The Progressive Intercultural Community Services (PICS) Society which was our non-profit partner during our infancy and early establishment. The initial mandate of the DHAC was to develop affordable housing for 2SLGBTQI+ seniors and allies in Vancouver. Thanks to seed funding, the DHAC undertook community consultations, surveys and a feasibility study conducted by Lumina Services and Terra Housing Consultants. In 2018 the organization was renamed Dignity Seniors Society to epand its focus on Housing, Health, Community Building and End of Life Planning.

DHAC revived seed funding from:

Current Funding Provided By:

DHAC Letters of Support from: