First United

In preparation for the upcoming winter season, we’re calling for new or gently used clothing (jackets, hoodies, toques, etc.), toiletries, feminine products and more. Items can be dropped off at 320 East Hastings on Tuesdays – Thursdays from 9am – 12pm and 1pm – 3pm. To view a list of most-needed items, visit the gifts in-kind page on our website firstunited.ca/how-you-help/…. Make sure you join us online for Toast Talks this Thursday! We’re sharing all the latest updates, including our plans for cold weather response and distributions in our new building. Register here: eventbrite.ca/e/toast-talks-… #DTES #GiftsInKind

“This has come to our attention over the last few months, where previously it hadn’t been,” said Sarah Marsden, FIRST UNITED Director of Systems Change and Legal. “And I can definitely say there is no evidence of any repair or of any of these issues being addressed… And when it’s something like heat or something like water, it’s not acceptable to let that drag on.”

Last Monday we attended Amplifying Voices: Access to Justice Through Housing Stability, an event hosted by RBC Royal Bank about housing justice. Advocacy Manager Michelle Beda was one of four panelists who participated in discussions about justice, housing stability and the legal side of it all. Thank you to the Law Foundation of BC, one of our community funders, for inviting us!

Today is Indigenous Veterans Day, a day to honour the Indigenous people who served in Canada’s military but whose contributions often go unrecognized. This day of observance is an important one. It takes place on November 8, a few days ahead of Remembrance Day because it’s important to acknowledge the incredible sacrifices Indigenous vets had to make. They often faced challenges just to enlist, as well as faced additional challenges in their lives post-service. We want to thank the brave First Nations, Inuit and Metis veterans who sacrificed so much for Canada. We see your contribution and we’re grateful for your service. #IndigenousVeteransDay #LestWeForget

Last Friday, a group of eight volunteers from @myHUBbc and @EIOCanada helped our kitchen team during lunchtime meal service. The team served a delicious chicken dish to Downtown Eastside community members and offered an extra sweet treat—oatmeal chocolate chip cookies! After lunchtime, the team met with Amanda Pellerine, Shelter Manager, who shared more about FIRST UNITED and our work in the neighbourhood. Thank you to this great group of individuals who took the time to serve our neighbours and learn more about our vision and mission. Thank you for upholding dignity, belonging and justice in the community!

Have you registered for Toast Talks? It’s happening again on Thursday, November 12 on Zoom. We're sharing organizational updates and how we're re-establishing our presence as the "church of the open door." You’ll hear about all the new things we’re doing with our Meal program, Spiritual Care and cold weather response. Register on Eventbrite at eventbrite.ca/e/toast-talks-… Date: Thursday, November 12 Time: 4:30 - 5:15pm PCT (please note, a glitch with Eventbrite may show a different time range. Please be assured that the time listed here is the correct time of the event). Place: Zoom link available when you register

Last Friday, we held a seasonal vaccine clinic in the lobby of our building. Lovely folks from Vancouver Coastal Health administered seasonal flu and COVID-19 vaccines, as well as pneumococcal RSV vaccines for those who are eligible. This was a great low-barrier way for community members in the Downtown Eastside to get protection from seasonal viruses.

We had the pleasure of visiting Shaughnessy Heights United Church yesterday, on All Saints Day. Shaughnessy Heights UC has supported FIRST UNITED for decades, through donations, volunteering and advocacy. As it was All Saints Day, Katie Bricknell Koncan, Acting Co-Executive Director, took the time to honour members of the congregation, as well as Downtown Eastside community members, who are no longer with us. Reflecting on the contributions of Communities of Faith to FIRST UNITED’s work, Katie said: “[Your] time, leadership, gifts and partnership have gotten us here… your friendship, compassion and belief in what we do energizes us to show up every day.” Thank you to Shaughnessy Heights for your support and for coming alongside us to do this important work.

On October 29, Spiritual Care set up two altars of remembrance that will stay up until November 3. One Remembrance Altar can be found at our shelter, where folks can write names, memories and prayers in remembrance of loved ones who have passed. There is a similar altar in our building at 320 East Hastings, where community members are invited to write names or memories of loved ones on a paper candle and clip them to the board. These altars are up from October 29 to November 3 to honour the number of observances based on the thinning of the veil between our ancestors and ourselves: Halloween, Samhain, Pangangaluluwa, All Souls' Day, All Saints' Day, Dia de los Muertos, and Seleenwoche.

On Wednesday, November 4, we’re hosting Writers Reading from Megaphone’s Voices of the Street in our dining hall! The event is part of the DTES Heart of the City Festival and this year’s theme is Belonging. The event will feature readings from writers whose work appears in How to be Human, the 2026 Voice of the Street anthology. When: Wednesday November 4, 1pm – 2:30pm Where: FIRST UNITED Dining Hall, 320 E. Hastings Learn more at heartofthecityfestival.com/2… #DignityBelongingJustice #DTES

You're invited to join us for another Toast Talks on Thursday, November 12 from 4:30 - 5:15pm PCT. We'll share organizational updates and talk about how we're re-establishing our presence as the "church of the open door." You'll hear from Acting Co-Executive Directors Katie Bricknell Koncan and Rob Vandermey. We'll also be joined Spiritual Care Manager Rev. Lauren Sanders who will share about our Spiritual Care program and how it's expanding into our new space. Register today to join us over Zoom: eventbrite.ca/e/toast-talks-… Date: Thursday, November 12 Time: 4:30 - 5:15pm PCT (please note, a glitch with Eventbrite may show a different time range. Please be assured that the time listed here is the correct time of the event). Place: Zoom link available when you register

The provincial election this past weekend has brought many changes. You may have heard that our Executive Director Amanda Burrows was elected as the new MLA for Vancouver – Strathcona. We're thrilled for her success and are incredibly proud of her courage and vision to step forward to support this community and represent it in the legislature. Amanda will be leaving her role as Executive Director effective November 17th and the Board of Directors have begun discussing the process for an executive search. Acting Co-Executive Katie Bricknell Koncan and Rob Vandermey will continue to lead the organization until November 30, as originally planned. Amanda has proven to be a focused and compassionate leader and steadfast advocate for the Downtown Eastside community during her time at FIRST UNITED, and we have no doubt that she will continue that in the legislature. We wish her well and look forward to seeing her around the neighbourhood. Please join us in congratulating Amanda on her success and giving thanks for all that she has given to FIRST and the DTES!

Today is the last day to vote in the BC provincial election! Make sure to vote and have a say in how our province is run. If you’re in the Downtown Eastside, 320 East Hastings is a polling station, which means you can cast your ballot on the first floor of our building between 8am-8pm. If you’re outside of the DTES, you can find other voting locations near you at wheretovote.elections.bc.ca. Happy voting!

Last week, we shared the key issues we’re advocating for ahead of the upcoming election, including funding voluntary detox and treatment (NOT involuntary treatment). At the start of the last provincial election, two years ago, FIRST UNITED’s Social Justice Committee put together a statement about our position on voluntary/involuntary treatment. It's now 2026 and another provincial election but our stance hasn't changed. “FIRST UNITED has been serving the DTES community, including those who have mental health challenges, brain injuries, and people who use drugs, for over a century. As an organization with deep relationships and ties in the community, and as those who have seen firsthand the outcomes of failed policies like this, we vehemently object [to involuntary treatment].” Read our more of our stance here: firstunited.ca/resources/fir…

Thank you to Canadian Memorial United Church for welcoming us this past Sunday! Katie Bricknell Koncan, Acting Co-Executive Director, shared the ways we’re serving the community in our new building and ways folks can get involved through volunteering. We're so grateful to @cdnmemorial for their support of our work and belief in our vision of a neighbourhood where everyone’s worth is celebrated and all people thrive!

Today is the final day to vote in the municipal election! We encourage you to exercise your right to vote and make a difference in your city. Let us know if you're voting today or if you voted earlier this week! #VanPoli

Join our team of volunteers who help support FIRST UNITED’s work in a variety of different ways. For the past few weeks, volunteers have been supporting our voter info pop ups, helping lower barriers for people in the Downtown Eastside to vote in the municipal election. This includes providing helpful information like what IDs are required and how to obtain them. Volunteers will also help people vote in the upcoming provincial election when our building is a polling station (during advanced voting days October 18-20, and on election day, October 24). Volunteers will help wayfind so that voters can find their way to the polling area. There are also plenty of opportunities for volunteering outside of elections. If you’d like to support our work in the DTES, upholding dignity, belonging and justice, take a look at our volunteer page for upcoming opportunities and to sign up: app.betterimpact.com/PublicO… #dtes #volunteervancouver

The provincial election takes place on October 24 and we want to encourage everyone to vote! Advanced voting starts this Friday, October 16 and goes until Wednesday, October 21. We encourage you to look into the candidates running in your riding and their respective parties’ platforms. Some of the key issues we are advocating for: • prohibiting pet bans in rental contracts; • tenants’ right to install cooling equipment and prohibit clauses that restrict cooling devices; • rent stabilization (vacancy control); and • funding voluntary detox and treatment (not involuntary treatment). You can learn more about some of these key issues and our recommendations, detailed in our most recent law reform platform, titled Inclusion, Fairness & Stability: Advancing Solutions for the Right to Housing in BC at firstunited.ca/how-we-help/l…. #bcelxn #bcpoli

Happy Thanksgiving! It’s that time of year, when most of us gather with loved ones around a meal to give thanks. Thanks to your support, we’ve been able to provide a special Thanksgiving meal for our neighbours in the Downtown Eastside, so they don’t have to miss out. And it doesn’t end with holiday meals. Throughout the last year, you helped us provide 118,000 meals to the Downtown Eastside! And this year, we’re increasing our meal service to provide 180,000 meals! This Thanksgiving, will you help us serve more meals to meet the growing needs of the DTES? A meal costs us $5.50. When you give $55, you'll provide 10 meals to our neighbours in the DTES. Make a gift here: firstunited.ca/gift-meals-to… 🍽️ We need to raise $15,000 by 11:59pm on Mon, Oct. 12! Help us reach our goal this Thanksgiving. #HappyThanksgiving #DTES

Yesterday, we invited the Downtown Eastside community to join us for a special Thanksgiving lunch: turkey with all the trimmings, including mashed potatoes covered in gravy, cranberry sauce and roasted carrots! We were so excited that this year, folks got to enjoy this popular meal in our new dining hall! And in our new space we’re increasing our meal service by over 50% this year to serve more people in the DTES. Thanksgiving is just around the corner and we need to raise $15,000 for our meal program by Monday. Each meal costs us $5.50. In honour of Thanksgiving, will you give $55 today to provide 10 meals for our neighbours in the DTES? Gift meals to the DTES for Thanksgiving here: firstunited.ca/gift-meals-to… #Thanksgiving #DTES