Resources

Residents of the Downtown Eastside are in danger of experiencing major displacement and homelessness. Zoning changes in the DTES are being tabled at City Council next week (Dec. 9) and we need to mobilize to resist gentrification that will cause more harm to low-income members of our city.

The City is proposing zoning amendments that will drastically reduce the number of social housing units and affordable housing for low-income residents in the Downtown Eastside/Oppenheimer District (DEOD).

Click to expand for details on what the changes include.

Changes include:

Decreasing the amount of social housing units required to be part of new developments in the area. Right now, developments are required to have 60% of their stock dedicated for social housing and the remaining 40% can be rented at market rate. Proposed policy changes would require only 20% units be for social housing, and 80% at market rate. This will change developers’ obligations when they replace Single Resident Occupancy (SRO) buildings, which provide housing of last resort for our neighbours who would otherwise be homeless. Right now, anyone redeveloping this kind of building has to replace each unit on a 1:1 basis. With the proposed changes, developers will only be required to replace 50-80% of those critical housing units.

“Social housing” would go from currently requiring at least 33% of units be rented at “shelter rates” ($500 per month for an individual) to just 20%. For example, under the proposed amendments, a new 100-unit development would only have 4 units available at shelter rates.

Public ownership of social housing units would no longer be required. Developers would own 100% of the building and lease back the social housing portion, meaning any public money or incentives (like government grants) end up subsidizing private ownership.

More market rate units in the neighbourhood will mean increased speculation in the area and increased land values. This will make building social housing more expensive, property taxes will increase, and rent will go up. This will no doubt lead to accelerated evictions and displacements.

We need your help to show Council that Vancouverites are standing up against gentrification and land speculation and that we need MORE, not less, affordable housing options!

Send a pre-written email below to City Council that you DO NOT support zoning changes in the Downtown Eastside as it will lead to devastating impacts for residents of the community.

You can also sign up to speak at City Council on December 9 at: https://vancouver.ca/your-government/request-to-speak-at-a-public-hearing-form-3.aspx.

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“I had to sell all of my belongings and now I live in my vehicle, as I need to stay in the lower mainland but cannot find a house in my price range that will accept a pet.”

No one should have to choose between their pet and their home. But in BC 1.6 million renters bear the brunt of the housing crisis and with the lack of affordable housing options, there are even fewer for people who have pets.

The lack of pet-friendly rental options in BC is a barrier to safe housing for pet owners, especially those with lower incomes.

Pets are valued and loved members of many households across the province. Because of the physical and emotional benefits of pet ownership as well as the health and accessibility aspects, restricting pets in rentals is a fairness and human rights concern.

The lack of pet-friendly rental housing was a common theme we found in our BC Eviction Mapping Project. Tenants reported displacement, downsizing and even homelessness due to not being able to find housing that would accommodate their pet.

“[I had] Difficulty finding somewhere to move that allowed pets, had to move to a rougher neighbourhood, further away from work.”

In the BC NDP’s 2024 provincial election campaign, Premier David Eby promised to “stop pet evictions in purpose-built rentals” and recognized that no person should have to choose between their pet and their home.

We call on the provincial government to uphold that promise and prohibit pet bans in rentals. This will help protect the most vulnerable tenants, uphold their rights, and save them from having to choose between safe housing options or homelessness.

“The worst part this time around is that I think [I] have to leave my dog for a few months … We’re looking for pet friendly housing, but I just can’t afford the upfront costs all at once right now when inflation is hitting so hard.”

Use your voice and join us to stand up for tenants and pets across BC. Send a letter to your MLA asking them to prohibit restrictions on pets in any rental housing with five or more units.

You can read more about our suggestions for amendments to the RTA, outlined in our new law reform platform.

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A message from the FIRST UNITED Social Justice Committee

You’ve helped us advocate for issues that affect the community we serve in the Downtown Eastside, including affordable housing and safe supply. Thank you for using your voices to push for change.

The next step you can take is to vote in the upcoming Vancouver by-election, happening on April 5. With important issues on the line, the stakes are high.

Voting is one of the most impactful ways to make a difference in your community. Right now, there has never been a more important time to exercise your democratic rights. FIRST UNITED has been serving the DTES community, including those who live in poverty, have mental health challenges, and people who use drugs, for over a century. Elections are a way to stand up for our community on the issues that impact people directly.

In this by-election, you’ll be voting to fill two vacant City Council seats. Get informed about each candidate and where they stand on issues that are important to you. Read more about each candidate by clicking the links provided here.

Ahead of the by-election, there are still a few all-candidate meetings happening in the city in case you haven’t had a chance to attend yet:

• Sunday, March 30 at 1:30pm-3:00pm at St. James Community Square regarding the Jericho Lands ODP
• Tuesday, April 1 from 7:00pm-9:00pm at Kerrisdale Community Centre Association

Make sure to ask questions about their stances on:

• Supportive housing and plans for more affordable housing in Vancouver.
• The Downtown Eastside and creating safety and dignity for those experiencing homelessness and poverty.
• The toxic drug supply and our need for increased investment in harm reduction and safe supply.
• Reconciliation, Indigenous rights and prioritizing Indigenous voices.

Your vote is important and will influence the future of the city. Thank you.

The FIRST UNITED Social Justice Committee
Jerome Bonneric
Jean Budden
Heather Clarke
Elizabeth KerklaanKatie Koncan
Marcia Lopez
Chris Wrightson

Land Acknowledgement

Words of Welcome and Explanation

Fear Not The Pain

Gathering Prayer
~A Celtic Prayer – David Adam
(We all read the bold together.)
From chaos and emptiness,
From loneliness and lifelessness,
All: Come, Creator, Come.
From void and shapelessness,
From the abyss and awfulness,
All: Come, Creator, Come.
From fearfulness and hopelessness,
From weakness and dreadfulness,
All: Come, Creator, Come.

Fear Not The Pain

Psalm 22

Fear Not The Pain

Litany of Comfort for Blue Christmas By Debra Faulk

(We all read the bold together.)

All around us are bright lights and merry messages
Yet in our heart not all is joyful
There is grief with the loss of relationships,
Those we love, no longer with us because of death
Those we have loved who are estranged from us
Those we love, yet experience a diminishment of intimacy
There is grief with the loss and change of relationship,

Grief, bittersweet for it is a consequence of the presence of love
This season brings forth many feelings

All: We find comfort in naming these feelings; we find some peace in being together

All around us are bright lights and merry messages
Yet in our heart not all is joyful
There may be pain in our bodies,
Physical pain as a natural outcome of aging
Physical pain that presents itself in illness
Pain in the body that forces us to change and imposes limitations

Pain, bittersweet for physical experience includes both pain and pleasure and
This season brings forth many feelings

All: We find comfort in naming these feelings; we find some peace in being together

All around us are bright lights and merry messages
Yet in our heart not all is joyful
There may be anger and regret with the memories we hold,
Anger with past experiences of hurt or abuse,
Regret of our own actions that may have cause hurt to others,
Anger that life has not turned out as we imagined,
Regret for what we might have said or done,

Anger and regret, bittersweet in presenting the possibility for healing and forgiveness,
This season brings forth many feelings

All: We find comfort in naming these feelings; we find some peace in being together

All around us are bright lights and merry messages
Yet in our heart not all is joyful
There may be uncertainty that accompanies transition and change,
Uncertainty of what the future may bring with changes,
Uncertainty of direction or purpose after retirement or change of vocation,
Uncertainty when changing residence, by choice or necessity,

Uncertainty, bittersweet for change, a constant in life, let’s us know we are alive, and change along with
This season brings forth many feelings

All: We find comfort in naming these feelings; we find some peace in being together

All around us are bright lights and merry messages
Yet in our heart not all is joyful
There may be a sense of hopelessness,
Hopelessness in the face of so much violence and suffering
Hopelessness with attempts to heal our aching world and ourselves
Hopelessness in witnessing what we have not managed to accomplish

Hopelessness, bittersweet for its longing reminds us of our capacity for hope and the human spirit’s tenacity and courage that rest deep within each of us as
This season brings forth many feelings

All: We find comfort in naming these feelings; we find some peace in being together

All around us are bright lights and merry messages
Yet in our heart not all is joyful
There is loneliness,
Loneliness when we find ourselves alone after being long-partnered,
Loneliness when we are separated from loved ones,
Loneliness when we move to a new community and struggle to find our way,
Loneliness that never seems filled even with good company,

Loneliness that is an ever-present aching in the heart,

Loneliness, bittersweet for it is felt only when we have known connectedness and
This season brings forth many feelings

All: We find comfort in naming these feelings; we find some peace in being together

All around us are bright lights and merry messages
Yet in our heart not all is joyful
We know grief and pain,
We know anger and regret,
We know hopelessness and loneliness,
We know all these feeling, we name them, we live them for such is the human experience
That love presents us with the possibility of being hurt, with the grief of loss,
That connection holds the potential of loneliness and uncertainty,
That forgiveness can begin to heal anger and regret

That being alive is a courageous act in which we engage all of our emotions and
This season brings forth many feelings

All: We find comfort in naming these feelings; we find some peace in being together

Ritual of Lighting Candles

Fear Not The Pain

Sending Words

Adapted from Enid A. Virago

Friends, go in peace.
Hold in your heart the certainty
That the spirit of life is with you always.

When your heart is torn asunder
Or when you soar with sweet joy,
You are never alone, never apart,
From the spirit that resides within us,
That guides our lives and cherishes us always.

Take comfort.
Blessed be.

Fear Not The Pain

Calendar

Join us this winter season as we work through a justice-focused Advent and Christmas calendar, created by Rev. Lauren Sanders, Spiritual Care Manager (Prairie Band Potawatomi/mshkodéni bodewadminwen, Kickapoo Nation of Kansas/kiikaapoa, African American/Black).

Together, we’ll learn about the Doctrine of Discovery and the harmful influence and impact it has had and continues to have on our theology and laws in Canada and around the world. We’ll look at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action 45, 46, 47 and how we can respond.

The calendar runs from November 30 to January 5 and features daily actions that we can participate in together. This important work is part of our commitment to putting reconciliation into action.

Advent and Christmas Calendar 2025

As part of the FIRST UNITED Advent and Christmas Calendar, Rev. Lauren Sanders, Spiritual Care Manager, has prepared a five-part Bible study series. The short Bible studies are to meant offer ways to engage in group or individually.

The Canaanite Woman Said What She Said.

The story of the Canaanite woman in Matthew 15:21–28 offers a rich lens for challenging colonial theology and the doctrine of discovery. What does Jesus’ transformation in this story teach us about listening, humility, and change?

Matthew 15:21-28 (NRSV)
Jesus left that place and went away to the district of Tyre and Sidon. Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon.” But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, “Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us.” He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” He answered, “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus answered her, “Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed from that moment.

Mark 7:24-30 (NRSV)
From there he set out and went away to the region of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there. Yet he could not escape notice, but a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him, and she came and bowed down at his feet. Now the woman was a gentile, of Syrophoenician origin. She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. He said to her, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” But she answered him, “Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” Then he said to her, “For saying that, you may go—the demon has left your daughter.” And when she went home, she found the child lying on the bed and the demon gone.

Kana’an: Canaan was the southeastern side of the Mediterranean coast, the part that joins Africa to Asia. The Indigenous inhabitants of that region were called Canaanites in Biblical Hebrew, or Syrophoenician in Koine Greek. Canaanites were on their land since before 4500 BCE. There were many different cultures and beliefs of the groups of people living in the land of Canaan. Ammonites, Moabites, Israelites who were never exiled, Phoenicians, Philistines (later called Palestinians), and other nomadic groups were all called Canaanites.

A Conversation with the Text

When the Hebrew scriptures refer to “the stranger” or “the foreigner”, most times it means someone who sojourns through the territory where a community of Israelites are living. These strangers or foreigners agree to live in the community of Israelites, and the sacred texts encourage hospitality and kindness to anyone who chooses to live by the values, mores, and rules of the Israelites. The power dynamic tips on the side of the people who are telling the story… the Israelites.

When the story encounters people who lived on the “land of milk and honey” before the Israelites, the power dynamic becomes flipped. The harmony between the stranger (Israelites) and the original inhabitants is incompatible. This is the political context of Matthew 15 and Mark 7.

The story of the Canaanite woman in Matthew 15:21–28 is one of the most striking moments in the Gospels. It is a story of persistence, resistance, and transformation. It is also a story that challenges colonial theology and the Doctrine of Discovery—a doctrine that has justified centuries of land theft, cultural erasure, and spiritual domination.

Jesus, a Jewish teacher and prophet, enters Gentile territory. The woman he meets is not just a foreigner—she is a descendant of the people displaced by Israelite conquest. Her voice disrupts the narrative.

The woman’s plea is urgent: “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon.” Jesus’ initial silence and the disciples’ dismissal reflect a theology of exclusion. She is not part of the chosen people. She is not supposed to belong.

But she persists. She kneels. She speaks back. And when Jesus calls her a dog, she responds with a truth that cannot be ignored: “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” This is not just clever rhetoric. She refuses to accept the boundaries of belonging. She claims her place in the story. The woman is direct with no shame. She firmly believes in a God that took joy and delight in creating all of creation.

This woman leads a theological intervention, when she challenges Jesus’ wrong lens. We see an image of Jesus as fully human, fully experiencing all of what it means to be human and have an embody theology that does not include all that God has created. Until this intervention, Jesus embodied what he had been taught in society, and an Indigenous woman came into his life and retold Genesis 1.

What happens next is extraordinary. “huh… recalibrating…” Jesus says. Jesus listens. He changes. He affirms her faith and heals her daughter.

This moment of transformation is crucial. It shows that even Jesus, shaped by the cultural and theological norms of his time, can be moved by the voice of the marginalized. It shows that divine compassion is not static—it responds to truth, humility, and courage.

The Doctrine of Discovery declared that lands not inhabited by Christians were available to be “discovered,” claimed, and colonized. It denied the humanity and sovereignty of Indigenous peoples. It justified genocide and spiritual domination.

The Canaanite woman’s story stands in stark contrast. She is not discovered—she speaks. She is not conquered—she resists. She is not erased—she is remembered.

Her voice calls us to reject theologies that exclude. Her persistence invites us to listen to those who have been silenced. Her faith reminds us that transformation is possible.

Deeper Reflection Questions

• How do power dynamics shape the way biblical stories are told and interpreted? What happens when we center the voices of those historically labeled as “foreigners” or “outsiders”?
• What does it mean that Jesus entered Gentile territory in this story? How does the woman’s identity as a Canaanite challenge dominant theological narratives?
• What does Jesus’ change of heart teach us about humility and openness to correction? How might this story inform our own spiritual practices of listening to the voices we are taught not to listen to?
• In what ways does this story challenge the assumptions of the Doctrine of Discovery? What does this story invite you to reconsider in your own theology or practice?
• When you have experienced or witnessed a moment where someone’s voice disrupted a harmful narrative, what kind of transformation happened? How did you feel?

Closing Prayer: A Prayer for Listening and Liberation

God of all peoples and all lands,
You walked into Gentile territory.
You listened to the voice of a woman who refused to be silenced.
You changed, and in that change, we saw the fullness of your compassion.

We come to you now,
As people shaped by stories—some that heal, and some that harm.
Help us to hear the voices that disrupt exclusion.
Help us to welcome those who have been cast aside.
Help us to unlearn theologies that justify domination, genocide, and colonization.

May we be like the Canaanite woman—persistent, courageous, and faithful.
May we be like Jesus—willing to listen, willing to change.
May our communities become places of justice,
Where crumbs are no longer enough,
And all are fed with dignity, truth, and love.

We pray in the name of the One who crossed boundaries,
Who healed with compassion,
And who calls us to do the same.
Amen.

Toast Talks are a series of information sessions during which members of the FIRST UNITED team offer updates, insights, and information about our work to our communities of faith, volunteers, donors, stakeholders, and friends. To make sure you never miss out on invitations to Toast Talks, subscribe to our emails.

Toast Talks November 2025

Here is the digital version of our Fall 2025 Newsletter:

Toast Talks are a series of information sessions during which members of the FIRST UNITED team offer updates, insights, and information about our work to our communities of faith, volunteers, donors, stakeholders, and friends. To make sure you never miss out on invitations to Toast Talks, subscribe to our emails.

Toast Talks July 2025

Here is the digital version of our Summer 2025 Newsletter:

Toast Talks are a series of information sessions during which members of the FIRST UNITED team offer updates, insights, and information about our work to our communities of faith, volunteers, donors, stakeholders, and friends. To make sure you never miss out on invitations to Toast Talks, subscribe to our emails.

Toast Talks March 2025

Here is the digital version of the of our 2024 Annual Report:

Rev. Lauren Sanders, Indigenous Spiritual Care Chaplain, has written a blog in honour of National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Rev. Sanders shares about the truth-telling and truth-listening aspects of truth and reconciliation, and how art—one of the key forms of communication—requires everyone to be a truth-listener.

Art is storytelling, and art is one of the oldest forms of truth that there is. We see art everywhere. When there are archeological digs or when you’re in Indigenous sacred spaces, there’s art. That art is telling a story, and that story tells the truth.  

When we are journeying on this truth and reconciliation journey, it is vital that we look at songs, dances, and all art forms as part of ways to speak truth, hear truth, learn truth, unlearn truths that we don’t need anymore, unlearn lies, and relearn truths that we’ve forgotten about. 

Truth-telling and truth-listening happen together in an open dialog. The truth hits hard, shining light on places within us and around us that we would rather not see or be seen. Allowing those hard truths to confront the lies we have believed takes humility, self-awareness, and courage. As we work to fully accept those hard truths, we realize that telling the truth is also very difficult. Telling hard truths also requires humility, self-awareness, and courage. The vulnerability of both the truth-teller and the truth-accepter is the beginning of trust. Only from that trust can reconciliation be built. 

When we experience art, we have feelings about it. Feelings are the deepest and first way we encounter what we think of as spirit. Our body reacts, our mind reacts, and everything within us reacts when we feel feeling. With art, you’re supposed to feel feeling. That art tells us: this is the artist’s truth. You can like it; you can not like it. You can feel some way about it. But that was the point of the artwork. To feel some way about it. 

When we encounter the hard truths from artwork, particularly Indigenous artwork, we all need to give ourselves space to internalize it and have it become a vital part of us in a way that allows the truth to become ours. The story isn’t to be usurped or subsumed. The truth in the story becomes our common humanity, our connection that breathes solidarity into being… again. In some creation stories, we were all one. We became fractured into “I only” through colonization, systemic oppression, and genocide. Listening to hard truths, whether through art or other means, moves us toward each other. 

This National Truth and Reconciliation Day, I invite you to join us in reflection with the following questions: 

When you’re looking at public art, what do you feel? What are some hard truths? What are the lies you believed? 

Casey Stainsby, Student Pastor, and Rev. Lauren Sanders, Indigenous Spiritual Care Chaplain, hand-painted a maple tree at the FIRST UNITED Spiritual Care office. The tree will be adorned with paper maple leaves designed by FIRST UNITED staff. On each maple leaf, staff wrote a commitment to dignity, belonging, and justice for truth and reconciliation.

“There’s no limits to what could happen with the money,” said a City Councillor recently.

Oh goodness, don’t we know it.

The City is exploring the idea of selling naming rights of parks and public spaces to corporations in an effort to reduce a $500 million infrastructure deficit.

In a world where we’re constantly bombarded with advertising and branding, and massive corporations are constantly vying for our eyes, do we really need to let that infiltrate BC’s natural beauty and public spaces?

But more than that, this initiative appears to be at odds with reconciliation…The City is proposing further profiting from the possession of stolen lands. The City was designated a “City of Reconciliation” in 2014. We invite staff, Councillors, and the Mayor alike to reflect on what selling naming rights for stolen lands means in this context. Is selling the naming rights to stolen lands based in reconciliation?

Look, we understand the need to pay for things. And we understand the benefits to partnering with the corporate sector to achieve goals. And as such, we’d like to offer some insight and constructive feedback to our public sector colleagues on the issue.

We’re currently redeveloping our site into an 11-storey purpose-built facility with four floors of community services and seven floors of affordable housing for Indigenous people (operated by Lu’ma Native Housing Society). The price tag for our four floors of services: a whopping $37 million, of $92 million for the whole building.

FIRST UNITED isn’t a massive organization; our operating budget just crept over $5 million this year. We’re well underway with our fundraising efforts for our new building, but that doesn’t detract from how ambitious it is for an organization of our size.

But we made a deliberate choice when we launched our capital campaign: We chose to not sell naming rights to rooms, spaces, or the building itself. This is actually highly unusual in the fundraising and philanthropic space.

All of the spaces in our new building will be named after Indigenous and spiritual roots of the land and Indigenous leaders rather than donors. And because we know that recognition can be meaningful, instead of naming rights, donors have the opportunity to offer dedications for the spaces they help to fund. But those rooms will be known by their Indigenous-based name first, not by the dedication. And that makes a big difference.

For us, this dedication policy is a core component to putting reconciliation in action.

The neighbourhood we serve is comprised of about 30-40% Indigenous People. The soil we’ve built into is stolen, never-ceded, ancestral land that is not ours. To create a space that is grounded in dignity, belonging, and justice, we decided that it was more important to recognize and honour the history of the land than the names of corporations or wealthy donors.

Our relationship with Indigenous Peoples and our journey through and to reconciliation are more important than money. These are our values, and we’re choosing to live them, regardless of the expense. We believe it is possible to have your actions align with your values, especially when it comes to managing your pocketbook.

We invite the City to reflect on their values regarding the allocation of existing funds. We continue to see the Mayor’s office and Vancouver Police Department’s budgets climb without issue or much in the way of “creative” fundraising. It just happens. It’s dismaying that our public spaces—and opportunities for righting wrongs of colonialism—not given the same type of prioritization for a City of Reconciliation.

Be brave, City of Vancouver. Take a note out of our playbook. Live the values you say you have. And if nothing else, it might not be a great look for your sponsors as you evict houseless residents from these newly-renamed parks.

June 21 marks National Indigenous People’s Day, when we celebrate the history and culture of First Nations, Inuit, and Metis people across Canada. To mark the day, we’ve compiled a number of resources and activities to get involved with to celebrate and for you to advance your own learning about Indigenous people.

Events

• National Indigenous People’s Day Celebration at Grandview Park
  June 21, 12:00 – 4:00 pm
  FIRST UNITED will have a booth set up, stop by to say hello and hear what we’re up to!
  
• Block Party on Main Street, between East Hastings and East Pender
  June 21, 12:00 pm – 6:00 pm
  Pop up performances from J.B. the First Lady, Mannix, Haida Dance Group, and more
  
• DTES Powwow at Oppenheimer Park
  June 23, 12:00 – 5:00 pm

Reading

FIRST UNITED staff have been encouraged to read the following books by First Nations authors to understand the history and context of colonization in Canada. We highly encourage you to read these important texts:

Five Little Indians by Michelle Good

21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act by Robert P.C. Joseph

Unbroken: My Fight for Survival, Hope, and Justice for Indigenous Women and Girls, by Angela Sterritt

Local Businesses

Support local Indigenous-owned businesses today and every day.

Massy Books, https://www.massybooks.com/, 229 E Georgia St, Vancouver
All of the above books are available at Massy Books

Decolonial Clothing, https://decolonialclothing.com/, 269 E Georgia St, Vancouver

Talaysay Tours, https://www.talaysay.com/, various tour locations in Vancouver, Sunshine Coast, and Squamish