We Are
FIRST UNITED
For 140 years, we’ve sough to build better futures in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside by providing essential services, community connection, and healing.
We Are
FIRST UNITED
For 140 years, we’ve sough to build better futures in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside by providing essential services, community connection, and healing.
Move First Forward
Buy a Brick
When you buy a symbolic brick for $50, you’ll help inspire healing and possibility in the neighbourhood and put reconciliation into action.
How We Help
We seek a just society by nurturing each person’s spirit through community services, advocacy, and ministry in the face of the often-intersecting challenges of extreme poverty, historical and personal trauma, mental illness, and oppression in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.
View all Programs
How You Help
Be a part of building better futures through our Community Giving Program, volunteering, attending an event, or subscribing to our newsletter. However you choose to get involved, you can help us remain agile and responsive and meet the most pressing needs of our time.
How You Can Help
A Sanctuary Within our Community
We are on the frontlines
Our Work
We’re building better futures by responding to the most pressing needs of our community: providing essential services, community connection, and healing. We provide direct support to our neighbours in the Downtown Eastside and advocate for dignity, belonging, and justice for the community.
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Latest news
Thank You Thursday: Sixth Annual GivingTuesday Shelter Gala Highlights
Date 4 Dec, 2025
Category Blog
On Tuesday, we hosted our Sixth Annual GivingTuesday Shelter Gala and we couldn’t have done it without you! This year, our goal was to raise $100,000 in support of our programs and services that provide essentials for our neighbours in the Downtown Eastside. We’re delighted to share that collectively, you gave: $99,735! That’s just $265 […]
First United Responds to Appointment of Larry Campbell to Support Coordination in the Downtown Eastside
Date 29 Sep, 2025
Category Uncategorized
First United acknowledges today’s announcement that the Province has appointed former Mayor and Senator Larry Campbell to convene and coordinate partners in the Downtown Eastside. The Downtown Eastside is a vibrant community of resilient and resourceful people who deserve real, lasting solutions to homelessness and drug overdose crises. We know too well that efforts in […]
Redevelopment and Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Artwork
Date 29 Jul, 2025
Category Art Campaign, Blog, First Forward, Redevelopment
Our new building is starting to come alive—construction is progressing smoothly and the exterior artistic elements are beginning to take shape. Public art shares culture, stories, and narratives about a place. It creates a sense of purpose, identity, and pride. Who is included and who is excluded from these public narratives matters—and that’s why we’re […]
Attend an Event
Join us for virtual and in-person events to learn more about FIRST and connect with our community.