First United Church Community Ministry Society

For Downtown Eastside community members, a safe and public toilet is hard to come by. 🚽 When our new building opens this month, community members will have access to clean washrooms. This is one of the ways we’re able to provide dignity in our new building. Another space that provides dignity is our shower facility. We won’t be ready to run the shower program this month, but when we do, community members will have access to private shower stalls where they can wash. We’ll share more information later. 🚿 For now, you can visit the redevelopment page on our website: https://lnkd.in/ggreZQzf #DignityBelongingJustice #DTES Photos by Kyle Graham

We’re bringing back our free Housing Rights Workshops! In these workshops, we provide information on tenants’ rights and steps renters can take if dealing with issues relating to tenancy. Workshop topics include “How to Fight Eviction” and “Does Your Landlord Owe You Money?” and are for anyone who wants to learn how to deal with problems in their tenancy, how to protect their rights, and where to get legal help. We're interested in holding these workshops in our new building when we're open to the public. If you’re part of an organization that would like to partner with us to hold these workshops in your space, let us know. Interested in learning more? Reach out in the comments or via DM and we’ll be in touch! #DTES #TenantsRights

Climate change is here and we know that our unhoused neighbours and people living in unsafe housing conditions will experience its effects more drastically. That’s why we incorporated climate resilient solutions into our building. With our building's HVAC system, we can serve as a cooling centre in the event of extreme heat for up to 200 people on the first floor. Cooling spaces include the entrance (photo 1), café (photos 2 and 3), and dining hall (photos 4-6). The HVAC system’s air circulation and filtration system also allows us to provide refuge from wildfire smoke for up to 470 people on the first four floors of our building. We'll share more about the spaces and features in our new building, so stay tuned! #DignityBelongingJustice #DTES #ClimateResilience #climatechange Photos by Kyle Graham Photography

We're recruiting volunteers to support our work in a variety of different ways. If you'd like to donate your time and skills to help bring dignity, belonging and justice to the Downtown Eastside, you can learn more and register here: https://lnkd.in/g3PMfrnr. #DTES

“There’s not a lot of places to come in with dignity, where you’re not shooed away. And a drop-in that is actually climate-controlled? That’s huge,” says First United executive director Amanda Burrows. Read the Broadview Magazine article for more on our new building and how we plan to support the Downtown Eastside community through new and expanded programs.

Yesterday, we served the first meal from our new building via our service window on Gore Street! Community members lined up along the side of our building to get their lunch for the day. We're excited to be able to cook meals in our new kitchen and continue meal service during this transition period. When we're ready to open in July, community members will be eating meals in our new dining hall! #DTES #DignityBelongingJustice

This past weekend, we attended a rally at City Hall to commemorate the 619 lives lost in B.C. during the 2021 heat dome, and to call on governments to take action. Amanda Jane Burrows, Executive Director, spoke at the gathering: “We can do better because we know that climate change isn’t coming, it is here and it is going to impact all of us. But we know it is going to impact us differently. Those who are unhoused, those who are living in vulnerable situations will feel the climate impacts way more.” At FIRST UNITED, we’ve been advocating for tenants’ right to keep cool. We’re calling on the province to pass maximum temperatures of 26 degrees in residential buildings to ensure everyone is safe in their homes. Other calls to action for the provincial government: - ‘Too hot to work’ standards employers must follow. - Increased tree canopy for equity deserving neighbourhoods and public spaces (bus stops, sidewalks, bike lanes & routes). - Full implementation of the Coroner’s directives from the 2021 Heat Dome Death Panel Review. - Expanded home renovation funding for equity deserving groups including people with disabilities and those with low income. - Strong action to rapidly reduce carbon emissions, stop expanding fossil fuels and invest more in renewable energy. Other calls to action for municipal governments: - Increased tree canopy for equity deserving neighbourhoods and public space (bus stops, sidewalks, bike lanes & routes). - Strong action to rapidly reduce carbon emissions and invest more in renewable energy. To learn more about the advocacy we’re doing, specifically around tenants’ right to cool, visit our law reform page: https://lnkd.in/g-bqQPNv #BCPoli #VanPoli #HeatDome #DTES

We’re commemorating the five-year anniversary of the heat dome this week and remembering the 619 people who died of heat-related causes in British Columbia. The majority of heat-related deaths happened indoors, in homes without adequate cooling systems.   As part of our advocacy for safe temperatures in rental housing, we’re calling on the provincial government to amend the Vancouver Charter to allow for maximum indoor temperature regulation. According to Vancouver Coastal Health, indoor temperatures of 26 degrees Celsius and higher can result in heat-related illnesses that can be life-threatening. Our recommendations are outlined in our law reform platform Inclusion, Fairness & Stability: Advancing Solutions to the Right to Housing in B.C., accessible at https://lnkd.in/g-bqQPNv.   If you’d like to advocate for cooling rights, the BC Heat Collaborative has organized a meeting at Vancouver City Hall on Sunday at 1pm. There will be stories shared, music and calls to action. Amanda Burrows, Executive Director, will be speaking. More information here: https://lnkd.in/gcCDuijT.   #HeatDome #BCPoli #DTES

We’d like to show some love to Terra Breads, Inc., the presenting sponsor of our 19th Annual Golf Tournament and long-time supporter of our work throughout the year. In addition to sponsoring our golf tournaments, Terra Breads has supported our work through in-kind donations, volunteering and promotional support! Thank you for supporting our mission and helping provide dignity, belonging and justice to the Downtown Eastside! #TerraBreads #DTES 

Today marks the five-year anniversary of the heat dome that took place from June 25-July 1, 2021, in which 619 people died of heat-related causes in B.C. The vast majority of those who died were vulnerable people like low-income tenants and seniors who were living alone in their homes without adequate cooling devices. This tragic event woke us up to the realities of climate change and the urgent need for climate-resilient solutions. FIRST UNITED has been advocating for the right to cool since 2023. Most recently, we celebrated a win when Vancouver City Council passed a motion earlier this month to ban landlords from prohibiting tenants’ use of cooling devices. This is a very important step to ensure the health and safety of tenants as we continue to see the dangerous and deadly impacts of climate change. We continue to advocate for cooling rights, including maximum heat legislation and bylaws. If you would like to get involved, there will be a gathering at Vancouver City Hall this Sunday, June 28 at 1pm, organized by the BC Heat Collaborative (a non-partisan network of people advocating for healthier, cooler and more climate-resilient communities). There will be 620+ bamboo and paper fans to commemorate the people who died and to demand the province and municipalities to ensure heat safety for all. More info here: https://lnkd.in/gswNkjSe #ClimateChange #ClimateResiliency #CoolingRights #DTES #BCPoli #VanPoli