Vancouver

The Drop-In Centre provides basic needs (including free clothing & showers), as well as counselling, advocacy, social, educational and referral services.

The Emergency Shelter: provides emergency shelter for women who are homeless, at risk of homelessness or at risk of violence. This low-barrier system accommodates women with severe mental health and addiction issues. Each night they shelter up to 150 women with beds for 57 women.

Advocacy services: are delivered to women who require assistance with the Ministry of Children and Family Development, Vancouver Aboriginal Children and Family Services Society, Ministry of Social Development and Social Innovation and/or the Residential Tenancy Office. They also assist women with issues and application concerns about Canada Pension Plan benefits, Old Age Security and Income Supplements. Advocates provide appropriate referrals and assist in navigating a complex system of resources, including assistance in welfare law.

The Chinese Seniors Outreach: serves vulnerable Chinese seniors in the Downtown Eastside as well as neighbouring Strathcona and Chinatown. Offers services in Cantonese and Mandarin. The Chinese Seniors Worker assists women with housing, advocacy, application forms, hospital accompaniments, and police incidents. They also do outreach to homes, translations, and referrals.

The Cultural Programming and Elders Council: works with women in the community to develop and implement cultural, recreational, social and/or educational programs that are consistent with the mission and mandate of the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre. This program provides counselling and emotional support to women around multiple issues, including residential school, substance use, cultural isolation, and violence, and includes arts and crafts, healing circles, visits to sweat lodges, and mentorship from Elders. Although programming largely focuses on Indigenous healing and cultural practice, activities are open to all and encourage cross-cultural connections.

HIV Community Case Management: has a primary goal of supporting women who are affected by HIV/ AIDS. The HIV Case Manager provides information, support, and care coordination to connect women to services and resources. The HIV Case Manager can also advocate for women to address barriers to their physical and mental health, financial and legal issues, practical needs, social support, and nutritional health.

The Housing Outreach Program: works to advocate for access to women’s housing opportunities, decreases barriers to housing, and supports for women to feel empowered in the community. The Housing Team works hard to help break down barriers for women accessing stable housing. They also offer support with utility bills if women are at risk of losing their homes, which often prevents a woman from being evicted. Other examples include necessary purchases such as bedding, kitchen items or referral support to navigate other community resources.

Meal Program: aims to meet the vital needs of women and their children by serving well-balanced nutritious meals with significant vegetable and protein portions to sustain the health of women living in extreme poverty. The centre responds to various health needs and conditions with their meals provision, including diabetes, hepatitis C and HIV. The kitchen provides a hot lunch, afternoon snacks, breakfast twice a week, and dinner for groups that meet after hours, it also provides meals for the emergency night shelter as well.

The Skills Development program: empowers women who live in the Downtown Eastside for overall life improvement and, for some, prepares them for the paid employment sector. This valuable program trains women on topics such as life-skills development, health and safety, and certification programs such as first aid and food safety.

The Victim Services program: provides ongoing support and assistance to female victims of crime: reporting the crime, emotional support, accompaniment to court, hospital or any other judicial-related programs, and referrals to the appropriate places or affiliated resources. The program also provides support to those who choose not to report for personal reasons or are afraid of retaliation.

The Power of Women (POW) program: seeks to assert the dignity of marginalized women, expand the scope of their voices and stories, and build their capacity to enact personal, collective, and social change.