First United - Vancouver Downtown Eastside

First United - Vancouver Downtown Eastside FIRST UNITED envisions a neighbourhood where the worth of every person is celebrated and all people thrive. In general, we serve adults with complex needs.

We are a direct service provider to low-income and homeless residents of Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. First United Church Community Ministry Society (commonly known as First United) is an inner-city ministry of the United Church of Canada committed at its heart to the struggle for social justice, offering programs of advocacy, housing, and healing in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside (DTES). We hono

ur the call to seek justice when we meet individual needs, advocate for social change, and provide sanctuary in the heart of the city. First United strives to be a respectful resource to the DTES and to those who are most in need of a welcoming place to be, to find support, and to feel safe. We have been operating in the DTES for over 135 years, and plan to keep our doors open to the neighbourhood as a place to find sanctuary and connection. Our vision is a neighbourhood where every person’s worth is celebrated and all people thrive. Our mission is to seek a just society by nurturing each person’s spirit through ministry, housing, advocacy, and community service. Our values are acceptance, discernment, empathy, accountability, and social justice.

Yesterday, we held a housing rights workshop on how to fight eviction—the first one in our new building! We’re now hosti...
08/21/2026

Yesterday, we held a housing rights workshop on how to fight eviction—the first one in our new building!

We’re now hosting regular drop-in workshops for low-income tenants in Vancouver to learn, connect and ask questions about housing and tenancy.

DROP-IN WORKSHOPS at 320 East Hastings take place every 1st and 3rd Thursday of the month, 1-2:30pm, except holidays. Workshop topics will vary.

Know Your Tenancy Rights Workshops:
• How to Fight Eviction
• Does Your Landlord Owe You Money?
• Repairs and Maintenance

Special Topics Workshops:
• Seniors Legal Issues
• Indigenous Rights in Tenancy
• Benefits and Welfare

Our new building is open, but our work isn’t done. In our new space, we can serve up to 1,000 people per day with expand...
08/19/2026

Our new building is open, but our work isn’t done. In our new space, we can serve up to 1,000 people per day with expanded and new programs. But to do this our costs have increased by 20%.

Now that we have the square footage to help more people in the community, will you make a gift of $50 today? Make a gift today at https://firstunited.ca/donate-now/one-time. 👈🏼

Your gift will help us:
• buy more beef, chicken, rice and vegetables to feed more people;
• purchase towels, shampoo and soap for the return of our shower program, and budget for laundry services;
• hire new staff for the Community Connections and Safety team to keep community, staff and volunteers safe; and
• so much more to ensure the community can get what they need and deserve.

With your support, thousands of people will come through our doors to access to dignity, belonging and justice.

08/16/2026

It's still summer but we're already thinking about the Coldest Night of the Year in February! ❄️

Will from FIRST UNITED and Inge from Universal Gospel Choir want you to save the date: Saturday, February 27, 2027.

You're invited to walk with us for the Downtown Eastside. This time, we'll be meeting in our new building to start the walk!

Just a reminder that Toast Talks is happening today at 4:30pm on Zoom. There's still time to register: https://www.event...
08/13/2026

Just a reminder that Toast Talks is happening today at 4:30pm on Zoom. There's still time to register: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/toast-talks-summer-2026-tickets-1995791660582

We'll be meeting online again, but this time we'll be logging on from our new building! Join us to hear from staff on the latest updates, including details on our strategic plan and more.

Check out our big and beautiful new sign! We're open, pop in to see what's happening!Are you in need of a washroom or sh...
08/12/2026

Check out our big and beautiful new sign! We're open, pop in to see what's happening!

Are you in need of a washroom or shower, a hot meal, a cool place to rest, a legal advocate or tax help? We've got you covered. Come chat with us and see how we can help.

And don't forget, we have our grand opening party Thursday from 1-3! Come by for cake!

08/11/2026

If you haven't had a chance to see our new building in person, you can take a virtual tour from wherever you are! Just go to our website's redevelopment page (https://firstunited.ca/first-forward-redevelopment). Click the Matterport tour and walk through three floors of our building's program spaces!

We're looking forward to hosting our grand opening event for the Downtown Eastside community on Thursday. We can't wait for every floor to be filled with life; with people accessing dignity, belonging and justice under one roof.

We’re hosting a Grand Opening Event for the Downtown Eastside community in our new building at 320 E Hastings, and all a...
08/07/2026

We’re hosting a Grand Opening Event for the Downtown Eastside community in our new building at 320 E Hastings, and all are welcome to join!

On Thursday, August 13, we’re holding an open house event to celebrate the new FIRST UNITED from 1:00pm to 3:00pm. This celebration is for DTES community members to explore the new building and enjoy programming, including:
• Drum circle
• Bingo
• Cake, snacks and lots of food
• Goodie bags and prizes
• Music
• Footcare
• Showers & washrooms

Date: Thursday, August 13
Time: 1:00pm – 3:00pm
Where: 320 E Hastings

Everyone is welcome to drop by! Please note that we won’t be holding any building tours at this event.

You're invited to our Summer Toast Talks, happening next week. It's the first Toast Talks since we've moved into our new...
08/06/2026

You're invited to our Summer Toast Talks, happening next week. It's the first Toast Talks since we've moved into our new building, and we have so many exciting updates to share with you. You'll hear more about our new strategic plan, watch a video of our ribbon cutting ceremony and art unveiling, and hear from a guest speaker on volunteering at FIRST.

Date: August 13, 2026
Time: 4:30pm-5:15pm
Place: Zoom (link will be accessible after registration)

Register through Eventbrite today: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/toast-talks-summer-2026-tickets-1995791660582

08/04/2026

In June 2026, we celebrated the completion of our redevelopment in the Downtown Eastside with an art unveiling and ribbon cutting ceremony.

Thank you to everyone who helped us move First Forward; bringing dignity, belonging and justice to the DTES for generations to come.

"Today, we are marking a milestone. The completion of our redevelopment. It represents our commitment to community, our commitment to reconciliation, and our commitment to showing up and adapting to the needs of this community."
- Amanda Burrows, Executive Director

Learn more about our new building and services at https://firstunited.ca/first-forward-redevelopment

Today is Emancipation Day in Canada, marking the end of slavery across the British Empire when the Slavery Abolition Act...
08/01/2026

Today is Emancipation Day in Canada, marking the end of slavery across the British Empire when the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833 came into effect in 1834.

In 2021 Canada officially designated August 1 as Emancipation Day; a day to acknowledge and learn from Canada’s history and legacy of slavery, and to continue to fight against anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism.

To learn more about the slavery that took place on this land, and how present-day racism and discrimination continue across the country today, visit bcblackhistory.ca/emancipation-day-in-canada-past-present-and-future.

Some Emancipation Day events in Vancouver this weekend:
• Emancipation Day Celebration organized by Afro Van Connect at the Vancouver Maritime Museum today from 11am-4pm (admission by donation)
• Emancipation Drag Takeover (18+) at SUM gallery in partnership with Hogan's Alley and Vancouver Black Library, today at 7pm (free)
• Emancipation Day Spoken Word Event at Vancouver Black Library, in partnership with Hogan's Alley Society, tomorrow (Aug 2) from 2pm-4:30pm (free).

Address

320 Hastings Street East
Vancouver, BC
V6A1P4

Opening Hours

Monday 8:30am - 4pm
Tuesday 8:30am - 4pm
Wednesday 8:30am - 4pm
Thursday 8:30am - 4pm
Friday 8:30am - 4pm

Website

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