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Today we are sharing that First United Church Social Housing Society (FUCSHS) has transferred ownership to Sch’eyk Housing Society, operated by Lu’ma Native Housing Society. The decision for Lu’ma to operate the Housing Society came after careful consideration and negotiation between FUCSHS Board and staff leadership of FUCSHS, and leadership from Lu’ma Native Housing Society. […]

This op-ed was originally published in The Vancouver Sun on January 24, 2023. You can find the op-ed on The Vancouver Sun’s website. Opinion: Without this resource, more vulnerable individuals and families will be at immediate and increased risk of displacement and homelessness. By Katie Koncan, Director of Development and Communications, and Amanda Burrows, Interim […]

Black Excellence Day Today is Black Excellence Day – a day to celebrate the contributions and achievements of Black communities across Canada. The day was born out of Black Shirt Day, which falls on January 15th, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, and is a day to show solidarity with black communities. But because of […]

It’s the first week of the new year and our hearts are filled with gratitude! We’re blown away by how our community has come together, yet again, to make a difference in the Downtown Eastside. Our Christmas campaign has wrapped and we’re thrilled to share that for our programs and services, our supporters have collectively […]

This year’s #GivingTuesday Shelter Gala was a special one to say the least. We are thrilled to share that we’ve received over $55,000 in donations for our GivingTuesday Shelter Gala! THANK YOU to everybody who chipped in, shared our social media posts, blogs, and donation links. All of your donations to our GivingTuesday Shelter Gala […]

“You can’t understand being homeless or being an addict without hanging out with them or being one of them,” Martin says. He described the day-to-day struggles of homelessness and the exhaustion that many people who are living on the streets experience. “You’re trying to survive in the streets and you just can’t find a place […]

The recent municipal election brings new faces of city governance, with ABC Vancouver sweeping Mayor, Councillors, Park Board commissioners, and School Trustees. We congratulate all candidates who ran for their hard work and well-fought campaigns, and for their commitment to engaging the public in important decision-making about our city. The stolen land that Vancouver is […]

Our third annual GivingTuesday Shelter Gala is happening this month and we’re making it bigger and better than ever! GivingTuesday is a global movement to encourage generosity and giving back. It falls on the Tuesday after Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and promotes charitable giving. This year’s GivingTuesday is on November 29th, and the way […]

Sharing exciting updates from FIRST! Check out our latest newsletter with stories from Legal Advocacy, Spiritual Care, and a Frontline Monthly Donor. First United Fall 2022 Newsletter

October 4th is the National Day of Action for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. Today, we honour, remember, and grieve the Indigenous women, girls, and two-spirit people who’ve been murdered or who’ve gone missing. Today is a day to take action. Thousands of Indigenous women have gone missing, and the related statistics are […]