We Are
FIRST UNITED
For over 135 years, we’ve been on a mission to seek a just society by nurturing each person’s spirit through ministry, housing, advocacy, and community service.
We Are
FIRST UNITED
For over 135 years, we’ve been on a mission to seek a just society by nurturing each person’s spirit through ministry, housing, advocacy, and community service.
Moving
First Forward
Demand for our services has outgrown our space at 320 East Hastings.
How We Help
We seek a just society by nurturing each person’s spirit through community services, housing, 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, connection, and healing. We provide direct support to our neighbours in the Downtown Eastside and advocate for compassion, dignity, and justice for the community.
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Latest news
Why we kept returning to Oppenheimer Park
Date 6 Nov, 2024
Category Blog
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 […]
This Place for Displaced
Date 12 Jul, 2024
Category Blog, Programs & Services
When folks come to us for shelter, we want them to feel welcome and that they belong. That was the idea behind commissioning artwork for our shelter— to make it feel more like a home and less like an institution. To achieve this, we commissioned a piece by Downtown Eastside artist Rickie “Sugars” that now […]
Planning for Climate Resiliency
Date 12 Jul, 2024
Category Blog, Redevelopment
When planning the design of our new building, we couldn’t ignore the current and future effects of climate change, especially considering the impact that we want the building to have in the Downtown Eastside for generations to come. Extreme weather like intense rain and flooding, severe cold snaps, oppressive heat domes, and wildfire smoke poses […]
Attend an Event
Join us for virtual and in-person events to learn more about FIRST and connect with our community.