The Council of Yukon First Nations (CYFN) is honoring the late Ta’an Kwäch’än Elder Shirley Adamson by dedicating the Family Preservation Wellness Centre in Whitehorse to her. The facility, now named “Zhürá” in her honor, provides short-term and emergency housing for Indigenous women and families, including those fleeing abuse or recovering from addiction. It also offers cultural programs such as recovery circles and cooking classes.
Adamson, who passed away in 2023, was a prominent figure in Yukon’s political and cultural landscape. She held various leadership roles, including the first chairperson of the Ta’an Kwäch’än Council, vice-chief of the Assembly of First Nations, and grand chief of the CYFN. Throughout her life, she advocated for vulnerable women, often drawing on her own experiences as an Indigenous woman and mother in the Yukon.
The Family Preservation Wellness Centre is the first Indigenous-owned emergency housing facility in the territory. It integrates Indigenous values like language, ceremony, and community support. This facility is particularly important in a region where Indigenous women face higher rates of violence. Since opening in February, it has maintained an 80% occupancy rate but is currently at full capacity. CYFN plans to expand the project with a second building that will include daycare and transitional housing to address the ongoing shortage of housing.
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