Why we kept returning to Oppenheimer Park

Give this Christmas and have your gift matched, doubling your impact in the Downtown Eastside! *Name has been changed to respect the privacy of the individual. We first met Paul* during the Oppenheimer Park decampments in January, when temperatures got to 13 degrees below freezing. He was unhoused and sheltering at the park. We gave […]

Thank you for making this an amazing Christmas!

A message from Amanda Burrows, Executive Director: I’d like to say a heartfelt thank you to you—our community of values-aligned supporters—for joining us this Christmas to make an impact on the Downtown Eastside. I’m delighted to share that this has been our biggest Christmas campaign ever, and it’s thanks to you. Together, for our programs […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

1 Million Reasons to say Thank You

We have some truly outstanding news to share with you: over the past six weeks, we ran two parallel campaigns for critically-needed donations: we had to raise $450,000 for our ongoing programs and services, and $500,000 for the redevelopment of our new building. It was an ambitious undertaking, but one that we felt optimistic about because our community […]

Merry Christmas From All of Us

Dearest Friends, We at First United Church Community Ministry Society would like to wish you all happy holidays! From November until January there are a number of holidays our community celebrates, and Christmas is just one of those. Some of the holidays, starting from November, are : Diwali, Birth of the Báb, American Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, […]

Michelle’s Story: Her Road to Recovery, Healing, and Home

“I don’t think you had the best life, but I think you have a much better life now.” This is what Michelle’s loved one said when she showed him where she used to live in Stanley Park. Michelle is resilient. She’s originally from Fort St. John, and she’s back there now. But for 9 years […]