BC Needs Vacancy Control
Urge party leaders to adopt a position supportive of vacancy control and develop a bolder plan to ensure tenants aren’t evicted in bad faith. BC tops two undesirable lists: the eviction capital of Canada and the most unaffordable housing in Canada. Rent is out of control, but it doesn’t have to be. FIRST UNITED is […]
FIRST UNITED Rejects All Calls For Involuntary Treatment
From the Social Justice Committee of FIRST UNITED Provincial election campaigns have kicked off and we’re concerned about a policy that’s being proposed by more than one political party: involuntary treatment for people with “severe addictions” and/or mental health challenges or brain injuries. FIRST UNITED has been serving the DTES community, including those who have […]
Provincial Election 2024
On October 19, 2024, British Columbians will head to the polls for the upcoming provincial election. British Columbians are facing a multitude of issues, some of which we see exacerbated amongst the community FIRST serves in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. We need government action now, and together we have an excellent opportunity to organize and leverage […]
Your Rights as a Tenant: BC Hydro Free Air Conditioner Program
What you need to know about your rights and access to cooling under BC Hydro’s program providing free portable air conditioners to tenants. Am I eligible for a free air conditioner from BC Hydro?If you are a low-income renter, you may be able to get a free air conditionerfrom BC Hydro. What are the income […]
Tell Premier Eby that you object to recriminalization
On April 26, Premier David Eby announced his plans to recriminalize substance use in BC. This is a deadly step backward. We are disturbed to see this shift in policy that will keep people in cycles of criminalization, and without question lead to more people dying because they will use alone and in non-visible spaces. […]
Residential Tenancy Act Law Reform Platform
“Everyone Needs a Home: Solutions for Preventing Homelessness, Evictions, and Displacement”, is our law reform platform that provides evidence-based recommendations drawing on research and statistical analysis, case law, legislation from multiple Canadian jurisdictions, Residential Tenancy Branch datasets, and the BC Eviction Mapping dataset (which has documented the mechanisms of eviction since mid-2022) for the Residential […]
Open Letter: Call on City, Province to meet and plan encampment response
The below open letter was sent in collaboration with the Carnegie Housing Project to BC and Vancouver officials, urging a human-rights based approach to supporting unhoused neighbours. The letter was originally sent on January 12, 2024, and signatories listed are representative through January 17 2024. Dear David Eby, Premier of British ColumbiaRavi Kahlon, Minister of […]
Opinion: The city is more concerned with hiding homelessness rather than solving it
Executive Director Amanda Burrows and Director of Development and Communications Katie Koncan published an op-ed in The Province on January 13, 2024. The piece came after Vancouver Park Rangers and Vancouver Police Department officers began displacing residents camping in Oppenheimer Park, taking their belongings including tents and blankets, and forcing them to pack down their […]
Call on Government to Stabilize Rent and Prevent Rent Gouging
The Government of British Columbia needs to take swift action to reduce bad-faith evictions. BC has the highest rate of eviction in Canada and a high rate of no-fault evictions (evictions that are not caused by non-payment of rent, broken lease, or a disruptive tenant). Studies show that British Columbians are 30% more likely to experience […]
Demand drug policy changes to save lives
In honour of International Overdose Awareness Day, tell your MLA that bold and immediate action is necessary for decriminalization and legal regulation to be effective against the toxic drug crisis. There has been an increase in attacks on harm reduction strategies in Canadian politics and the media—including the decriminalization of small amounts of drugs, safer […]