Black Excellence Day
Black Excellence Day Today is Black Excellence Day – a day to celebrate the contributions and achievements of Black communities across Canada. The day was born out of Black Shirt Day, which falls on January 15th, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, and is a day to show solidarity with black communities. But because of […]
THANK YOU for making this happen
It’s the first week of the new year and our hearts are filled with gratitude! We’re blown away by how our community has come together, yet again, to make a difference in the Downtown Eastside. Our Christmas campaign has wrapped and we’re thrilled to share that for our programs and services, our supporters have collectively […]
#ThankYouThursday: Highlights From Our Third Annual #GivingTuesday Shelter Gala
This year’s #GivingTuesday Shelter Gala was a special one to say the least. We are thrilled to share that we’ve received over $55,000 in donations for our GivingTuesday Shelter Gala! THANK YOU to everybody who chipped in, shared our social media posts, blogs, and donation links. All of your donations to our GivingTuesday Shelter Gala […]
Martin’s Story
“You can’t understand being homeless or being an addict without hanging out with them or being one of them,” Martin says. He described the day-to-day struggles of homelessness and the exhaustion that many people who are living on the streets experience. “You’re trying to survive in the streets and you just can’t find a place […]
A message to our new city government
The recent municipal election brings new faces of city governance, with ABC Vancouver sweeping Mayor, Councillors, Park Board commissioners, and School Trustees. We congratulate all candidates who ran for their hard work and well-fought campaigns, and for their commitment to engaging the public in important decision-making about our city. The stolen land that Vancouver is […]
Our Third #GivingTuesday Shelter Gala
Our third annual GivingTuesday Shelter Gala is happening this month and we’re making it bigger and better than ever! GivingTuesday is a global movement to encourage generosity and giving back. It falls on the Tuesday after Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and promotes charitable giving. This year’s GivingTuesday is on November 29th, and the way […]
Fall Newsletter, Eviction Mapping Project, and Spiritual Care Ministry Updates
Sharing exciting updates from FIRST! Check out our latest newsletter with stories from Legal Advocacy, Spiritual Care, and a Frontline Monthly Donor. First United Fall 2022 Newsletter
National Day of Action for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit People
October 4th is the National Day of Action for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. Today, we honour, remember, and grieve the Indigenous women, girls, and two-spirit people who’ve been murdered or who’ve gone missing. Today is a day to take action. Thousands of Indigenous women have gone missing, and the related statistics are […]
Truth and Reconciliation: Where to Put Your Orange Guilt
Written by George Flett (Metis and Saulteaux), Shelter Manager, and Lauren Sanders (Prairie Band Potawatomi and Kickapoo), Indigenous Spiritual Care Chaplain. It’s that time again. Today is Truth and Reconciliation Day. Indigenous folks, allies, and people who feel the need to seek reconciliation all don orange shirts and walking shoes. We tell ourselves it’s how […]
Our statement on the Aug. 9 DTES decampment
Yesterday, August 9th, a violent and hostile scene erupted at Main and Hastings, as part of the City’s work to decamp the Hastings Street Tent City. According to the Our Streets report, over 50 Vancouver Police Department officers organized themselves through the intersection of Main and Hastings and assaulted and arrested residents, advocates, community organizers, […]