Hiiye'yu Lelum House of Friendship Society

Hiiye’yu Lelum — House of Friendship Society is a community-centred non-profit organization in Duncan, British Columbia, serving as a cultural bridge between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal communities in the Cowichan Valley. Founded in 1982 and operating ever since with core provincial funding, the House of Friendship has provided culturally grounded holistic addiction counselling and support services since 1989. Located at 106–5462 Trans-Canada Highway, the organization works with adults whose substance use has affected their work, family, or housing — connecting recovery to real life rather than treating it as an isolated clinical event.

Holistic Outpatient Addiction Counselling

The House of Friendship’s Addictions Program and Four Pillars Program (Kwam Kwum Suli) offer outpatient counselling services grounded in Indigenous cultural perspectives. Individual, family, and couples counselling are available alongside group programming, relapse prevention, and holistic approaches that address the whole person. Services are designed to help adults in the Cowichan Valley understand and address their relationship with alcohol, cannabis, cocaine, methamphetamine, and opioids — in a setting that is culturally safe and community-connected.

Cultural Bridge and Indigenous-Centred Approach

What makes Hiiye’yu Lelum unique is its foundational commitment to cultural connection. The organization exists to bridge the gap between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal cultures, providing services that honour Indigenous identity and community belonging as part of the recovery process. The holistic programming model recognizes that substance use is often linked to cultural disconnection, intergenerational trauma, and social marginalization — and that healing must address these roots, not just the surface behaviour.

Wraparound Community Support

Beyond addiction counselling, the House of Friendship offers housing advocacy, legal rights referrals, and social services liaison — recognizing that recovery is inseparable from stability and community. Aftercare services maintain the connection between clients and the organization after formal programming ends. For individuals in Duncan and the surrounding Cowichan Valley who need accessible, community-based addiction support with strong cultural grounding, Hiiye’yu Lelum House of Friendship has been a trusted resource for more than four decades.