Esperanza primarily serves the First Nations people, specifically the Ahousaht people. It has a long standing relationship with the First Nations People in the area and it is known and utilized as being a place of respite, care, and love for people going through anything from drug/alcohol addictions to domestic violence to sexual abuse. The first nations word for Esperanza is the same as their word for liver, as they have seen the area as a place of cleansing and renewal for centuries.
Aside from the scheduled 6 week family camps, people often come to Esperanza unannounced when they are in crisis (similar to our living room floor any given night of the week!). There are staff members who provide community, compassion, and accountability to all who come but with the great history of trauma and abuse among the First Nations people there is a need for trained counselors (here is more about Canada’s history of treatment toward First Nations http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_residential_school_system ).
