Miywasin Friendship Centre

What Miywasin Friendship Centre does

Miywasin Friendship Centre is a registered Canadian charitable non-profit (CRN 883 419 475 RR 0001) operating as an urban Aboriginal service delivery centre in Medicine Hat, Alberta. Founded in 1996, the centre provides wraparound social, cultural, and health-related programs to First Nations, Métis, and Inuit community members in Medicine Hat and surrounding area. Its program portfolio comprises six core lines: a Counseling Program (limited counseling, advocacy, referrals, addictions support, and access to traditional healing ceremonies and sweats), a Housing Program (homelessness prevention, low-income housing access, and family/seniors referrals), a Youth Development Program (Medicine Wheel, Filling Our Tipis, Traditional Trails, powwows, round dances), a Caregiver/Parenting Education Program (12-week Traditional Parenting Skills with an Elders Storytelling Circle, plus Parent Drop-In Sharing Circles), an Elders Program (monthly hot meals, games, workshops, cultural activities), and an annual four-day cultural event, The Hills Are Alive Music and Dance Cultural Fest, focused on Métis fiddle, jigging, and square dance instruction.

The organization operates from a single site at 517 – 3rd St. SE, Medicine Hat, with no disclosed digital product, mobile app, or technology platform; service delivery is in-person and program-staff-driven. Revenue is generated entirely through grant funding from federal (Government of Canada, Reaching Home – Canada's Homelessness Strategy, New Horizons for Seniors), provincial (Alberta Native Friendship Centres Association), and regional/municipal (South Region Children's Services, City of Medicine Hat) sources, with no fee-for-service pricing model. Go-to-market is community-driven: referrals, word of mouth, a monthly newsletter (Riel Issues), social media, local media coverage (Medicine Hat News), and community/cultural events.

The organization sits within a multi-tier Indigenous service ecosystem, including the National Association of Friendship Centres (NAFC), the Alberta Native Friendship Centres Association (ANFCA), the Métis Nation of Alberta, the Assembly of First Nations, Medicine Hat College, and the Medicine Hat Community Housing Society. Headcount is reported at 11–50 staff, with leadership including a CEO (M Jeannette Hansen) and Acting Executive Director (Carol Syrette, BSW, RSW) supported by dedicated program managers across each service line. No revenue, budget, or financial figures are publicly disclosed.

Name

Miywasin Friendship Centre

Legal name

Miywasin Friendship Centre

Website

https://miywasincentre.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Miywasin Friendship Centre is a registered Canadian non-profit Aboriginal service delivery organization in Medicine Hat, Alberta, providing counseling, housing, youth, parenting, and Elders programs to First Nations, Métis, and Inuit community members, funded through government grants and operated from a single site since 1996.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Indigenous Community Social Services

NAICS

Social Assistance (624), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412), Community Housing Services (62422)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Centers & Neighborhood Support Services (BPAGAEAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Center Education Programs (EDAAAFAB), Companion Care & Social Support (non-clinical) (HLADAGAB), Faith-Based Social Services & Community Outreach (Food Pantries, Shelters, Counseling) (BPAGAJAG)

Keywords

• Aboriginal community services
• Indigenous social services
• Cultural programming
• Community counseling
• Youth development

Headquarters

HQ city

Medicine Hat

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Miywasin Friendship Centre is a non-profit Aboriginal service delivery organization that provides wraparound community social services to First Nations, Métis, and Inuit people in Medicine Hat and surrounding area. It delivers six core programs: Counseling, Housing, Youth Development, Caregiver/Parenting Education, Elders Program, and an annual cultural event. All services are offered at no cost to community members and are funded through government grants, the Alberta Native Friendship Centres Association, and donations.

Product overview

Miywasin Friendship Centre offers a portfolio of community social services targeting the Aboriginal community in Medicine Hat and area. The organization provides six core programs: a Counseling Program offering limited counseling, client advocacy, referrals, and access to traditional healing ceremonies; a Housing Program providing housing supports for those at risk of homelessness with access to low-income apartments; a Youth Development Program promoting healthy living and cultural awareness through the Medicine Wheel Program and Traditional Trails Program; a Caregiver/Parenting Education Program featuring a 12-week Traditional Parenting Skills Program; an Elders Program with hot meals and games; and an annual cultural event called The Hills Are Alive Music and Dance Cultural Fest featuring instruction in traditional Métis music and dance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Counseling Program

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Alberta Native Friendship Centres AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvincial association providing grants and support for all programming at the friendship centre. Part of a network of friendship centres across Alberta.
• Medicine Hat Community Housing SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization supporting urban programming for Indigenous peoples housing initiatives in collaboration with Reaching Home funding.
• Medicine Hat CollegeminorOthersListed as a community resource and referral partner for educational opportunities.
• City of Medicine HatminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-host of Truth and Reconciliation events, community partnerships for healing and reconciliation programming.
• National Association of Friendship Centres (NAFC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational governing body representing friendship centres across Canada. Provides network support, advocacy, and resources for Indigenous service delivery organizations.
• Métis Nation of AlbertaminorOthersListed as a community resource and referral partner for Métis-specific services and programming.
• Assembly of First NationsminorOthersListed as a community resource providing national Indigenous advocacy and policy support.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Red Deer Native Friendship Centre: Another ANFCA member friendship centre serving a mid-sized Alberta city. Directly comparable in scale, target population, and service mix to Miywasin, making it a strong peer for benchmarking funding and program outcomes.
• Métis Urban Housing Corporation: Housing partner specifically listed in Miywasin's contact directory. Operates Indigenous-targeted urban housing across Alberta, making it directly comparable to Miywasin's Housing Program and a key peer for housing-program benchmarking.
• Calgary Friendship Centre: Another NAFC-affiliated friendship centre serving the urban Indigenous community in Alberta. Operates the same Indigenous service delivery model (cultural, social, housing, youth programming) in a larger city, making it the closest comparable peer in the same provincial network.
• Edmonton Friendship Centre: NAFC-affiliated friendship centre serving Edmonton's urban Indigenous population. Mirrors Miywasin's wraparound service model at a larger scale, providing the most direct comparison for programming depth and funding scale among Alberta friendship centres.
• Grande Prairie Friendship Centre: Another ANFCA member serving an Alberta mid-sized city. Closely comparable in scale, programs, and funding sources to Miywasin, useful as a peer benchmark for grant funding levels and program outcomes in smaller urban Indigenous centres.

Broad incumbents

• National Association of Friendship Centres (NAFC): National network body of which Miywasin is an affiliate. Provides advocacy, resources, and coordination across the friendship centre movement; comparable as the umbrella governance and funding advocacy layer.
• Alberta Native Friendship Centres Association (ANFCA): Provincial association of friendship centres that channels grants and supports Miywasin's programming. Comparable as the collective bargaining and funding intermediary for the same model of organization.
• Métis Nation of Alberta: Provincial governance body representing Métis citizens in Alberta. Listed as a resource and referral partner. While not a service delivery peer, MNA sets policy direction and operates parallel programs that compete for the same provincial funding pool.

Emerging players

• Aboriginal Healing Foundation: National Indigenous-focused healing organization referenced as a resource link. Comparable in the healing, counseling, and trauma-related services that overlap with Miywasin's Counseling Program.
• Native Women's Shelter: Network of Indigenous-specific shelters and social services across Canada. Overlaps with Miywasin's housing and counseling functions but with a specialized focus on women and family violence, representing a niche comparable within the Indigenous social services space.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/MiywasinMH
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/miywasin-friendship-centre

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Miywasin Friendship Centre