Women’s Memorial March

February 14th is the Annual Women’s Memorial March, a gathering and march of grief, love, and justice for missing and murdered women in the Downtown Eastside. In honour of the March, Dr Cheryl Bear, Director of Community Ministry at First United, writes about her relationship to community, missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, and the Downtown Eastside. “Do […]
I’m a senior survivor

You could say I’ve had a rough go of it. I was in prison for thirty years. I was never violent or anything…I’d robbed banks, and I paid for it. Three years ago, I got out. Well, when they let you out after 30 years inside, you don’t really have anywhere to go. You’re on […]
Care During COVID-19

“COVID-19 has been scary, but I’ve felt taken care of here,” says Alex, a resident of First United’s women’s shelter since January. As word spread about the threat of COVID-19 in early March, things in the Downtown Eastside started to change quickly. “I remember the day they had to start the distancing. It’s usually so […]