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.
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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
BC Government Announces New Measures to Protect Renters
Date 3 Apr, 2024
Category Uncategorized
On Tuesday, the BC Government announced a new bill that addresses several recommendations made in FIRST UNITED’s law reform platform “Everyone Needs a Home: Solutions for Preventing Homelessness, Evictions, and Displacement.” We were pleased when BC Housing Minister Ravi Khalon announced proposed amendments to the Residential Tenancy Act (RTA) that include a number of renter […]
Good Friday: The Gift of Grief
Date 28 Mar, 2024
Category Blog
A Good Friday message from Lauren Sanders, Indigenous Spiritual Care Chaplain: Hew,niťtena kinwa? anwesėśhėnaLauren nŤėshnēkasote ke xʷməθkʷəy̓əm Sḵwx̱wú7mesh səlilwətaɬ eťtēŤayanÉhé neshnabe nŤew. mshkodani bodéwadmi mine kiikaapoa nŤēbenŤagwïs Hi there! How are you? I’m okay. My name is Lauren. I am the Indigenous Spiritual Care Chaplain at FIRST UNITED. I live on the land of the […]
We received an urgent call. Here’s what we did.
Date 13 Mar, 2024
Category Blog
On a frigid afternoon this past December, we received an urgent phone call. There was a mother cradling her newborn, desperately waiting outside Carnegie Outreach Centre to get a birth certificate for her baby. Could FIRST UNITED help spare Mom and baby a long wait in near freezing temperatures? Our response was immediate: yes, we […]
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