News

A message from Amanda Burrows, Executive Director

On a Sunday in May 1885, a small congregation met together for its first church service at the Hastings Mill schoolhouse.

That congregation evolved into what FIRST UNITED is today. 140 years later, we’re known as one of the oldest service providers in the community, bringing dignity, belonging and justice to people experiencing extreme poverty and homelessness.

Today we’re celebrating our 140th birthday, and I’m incredibly humbled to be a part of the FIRST UNITED community, to do work that matters, and to be a part of work with purpose. And I’m grateful that you’re here for it, too.

Whether through policy change, community organizing, or on the frontlines, together we are committed to building a neighbourhood where everyone has access to dignity, belonging, and justice.

If you haven’t already, please sign our digital birthday card and leave us a greeting!

Taking a look through our history, two things stand out to me. One, we remained responsive and adaptive; tailoring our services, spaces, and calls to action to ensure that we could meet the needs of the people we served.

In 1999, we hosted a memorial service for missing and murdered women from the Downtown Eastside; that service drew over 400 people. As Rev. Dr. Ruth Wright wrote at the time, that service “was a precipitating factor in the establishment of a special integrated police task force to investigate the disappearances”. This was one of the early steps taken—though still too late—in the broader context of the Pickton case. Our relationships and trust within community, our credibility with city officials, and our commitment to justice came together to create action that would serve our neighbours.

Concurrently, the HIV-AIDS epidemic was worsening, and community activists and advocates began calling for supervised injection sites—places for people to safely use drugs, have access to clean harm reduction supplies, and receive healthcare. In response, FIRST UNITED did something bold: it opened an unsanctioned mock injection site in 2002. We welcomed in professionals, decision makers, and the local community to see its benefit. This laid the groundwork for Insite (opened in September 2003), Canada’s first legal safe injection site that has saved tens of thousands of lives, helped people access recovery and treatment, and provided compassion to all who accessed it.

These are just two ways that we’ve responded to calls from the community, adapted to the political climate, and provided new supports and interventions when they’re needed the most.

The second thing that stands out to me is that, since the very beginning, we’ve been supported by donors, volunteers, communities of faith, and organizations who wanted to make an immediate impact in the community.

There are countless individuals over the decades who have contributed to our work and legacy, creating an immeasurable and long-lasting impact in the Downtown Eastside. Volunteers have given help with every program and part of the organization for over a century. Individuals have donated directly and found innovative ways to generate support: bake sales, hosting a porridge breakfast, donating proceeds from bottle collections, concerts and clothing drives, radio appeals, and so much more. Times have certainly been tough at different points over our history, but what’s remained steadfast is the broader community’s care for FIRST, and more importantly, for residents of the DTES.

We couldn’t have made it this far without that support. Thank you for being part of our FIRST UNITED community and playing a role in this part of our history.

To all who have given—donations, prayers and well wishes, advocacy and time—we have immense gratitude for you. Thank you for joining us in this work and the impact you’re helping make in the Downtown Eastside.

As much as we’re reflecting, we’re also looking at the bright future ahead. I’m holding close those two constants: our responsiveness, and you, our community. The City of Vancouver is currently trying to change the Downtown Eastside Local Area Plan which will allow more market-rate housing in the neighbourhood. This is a grave mistake that will further displace and marginalize the DTES. If rent and land values go up here—where will our neighbours go? So, we are mobilizing in response.

We are advocating with the City and the public to speak out against these proposed changes. And that’s where we need your help. Attend the public information session on May 12 and speak out against gentrifying this neighbourhood. We need you to stand with us and the DTES now, just as we have for 140 years.

Thank you for being part of our FIRST UNITED story.

Amanda Burrows
Executive Director, FIRST UNITED