Author: Sarah Winters

2023 Homeless Count Results: Our Solutions

By Amanda Burrows For the first time since 2020, we have an idea of the prevalence of homelessness in Metro Vancouver. The 2023 Homeless Count in Greater Vancouver Report was released yesterday at the 2H Forum 2023, with dismaying results: in the region, the number of people identified as experiencing homelessness increased by 32%, and […]

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

Tomorrow is National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and we invite you to join us in both reflection and action for reconciliation. Three years on from the first marking of this day, unmarked graves continue to be discovered, and long-told stories and truths are validated. Validation though formal investigations should not be necessary. Survivors should […]

Streaming for Overdose Awareness

No matter where in the world you are, chances are there are people in your community dying of overdose from a toxic drug supply. August 31st is International Overdose Awareness Day (IOAD), an annual day of action for our neighbours, family, friends and community members who have been lost to and impacted by the overdose […]

Leadership Updates From FIRST UNITED

The Board of Directors of FIRST UNITED Church Community Ministry Society is excited to announce two significant and positive shifts in leadership. First, that The Right Reverend Dr. Carmen Lansdowne has been offered a position as Assistant Professor of United Church Studies at Emmanuel College, of Victoria University in the University of Toronto, which will […]

FIRST UNITED Supports Calls to Search the Landfill

The families of Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran are calling on the Manitoba government to search the Prairie Green landfill for the remains of their murdered loved ones. FIRST UNITED echoes their calls, and stands in solidarity with Indigenous families, activists, and leaders asking for justice for all missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls […]

Sole Comfort

Over 20 years ago, Bruce Cowburn, former FIRST UNITED staff member, was brought to tears when he witnessed our Foot Care Program in action for the first time. Bruce described the sight, as quoted in Hope Lives Here: A History of Vancouver’s First United Church by Bob Burrows, saying: “There was a [community member] playing […]

The Road to Redevelopment

Timeline In 2017, community engagement, redevelopment and capital campaign feasibility studies set the stage for an incredibly ambitious project— the redevelopment of our site at 320 E Hastings. Five years later, site work got underway 2022 April– Street Use and Salvage & Abatement permits are received, clearing the way for preliminary work to begin on […]

Still a Sanctuary in the Heart of the Downtown Eastside

There is something notably different about East Hastings these days. The corner at Gore is missing a recognizable landmark—FIRST UNITED’s old church building. That’s because we’re currently undergoing a redevelopment, demolishing the old building to make way for a new purpose-built facility that will better serve the current and growing needs of the Downtown Eastside. […]

Summer Newsletter: A Retrospective On Our Building

Honouring the History of Our Old Building We’ve dedicated this summer edition of First Things First to our former building—to honour its history and legacy in the Downtown Eastside. Read just some of the significant events and milestones that took place in our old building. Featured photo by Walter E. Frost 1973 (City of Vancouver […]