Category: Blog

Thank You Thursday: Fourth Annual Shelter Gala Highlights

We hosted our fourth annual GivingTuesday Shelter Gala this week, and it was an incredible day of celebrating the resilience and strength of our neighbours in the Downtown Eastside. We’re so happy to share that we’ve received over $62,000 in donations for our GivingTuesday Shelter Gala! GivingTuesday is such a special day here at FIRST […]

Canada supports 103 new affordable homes in Vancouver at 320 E Hastings

FIRST UNITED Executive Director Amanda Burrows (centre) pictured with Vancouver City Councillors Lenny Zhou, Rebecca Bligh, Lisa Dominato, Mike Klassen, and Christine Boyle, Lu’ma Native Housing Society President Dave Baspaly, and Vancouver-Mount Pleasant MLA Joan Phillip. Photo by Maxine Bulloch. Vancouver, British Columbia, November 6, 2023 Construction is underway on 103 units for Indigenous residents and […]

A Year of the FIRST Food Truck

“We’ve had community members tell us, ‘It’s amazing that you’re still able to provide food while your building is being redeveloped,” shared Cristien Donhuysen, Program Manager.  It’s been over a year since we’ve launched our FIRST Food Truck, which provides free meals to Downtown Eastside community members every weekday at lunchtime. Through the food truck, […]

Calls for Justice This Advent Season

This Christmas season, we invite you to participate in Advent through the theme of justice—specifically to begin the work of Call for Justice 18.17 from the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. Call 18.17 states: “We call upon all governments, service providers, and educators to fund and support the re-education of […]

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 […]

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 […]