Pathways | Downtown Eastside Women's Centre (DEWC)

Downtown Eastside Women's Centre (DEWC)

Advocacy, Food, Housing / Shelter, Indigenous Services, and Victim Services

Provided by Downtown Eastside Women's Centre

The Drop-In Centre provides basic needs (including free clothing & showers), personalized support such as advocacy, housing assistance, and victim services, as well as, cultural programming, community and connection.

Safe Washrooms: Centres are equipped with bathrooms, including safe, clean showers, stocked with donated toiletries, towels and even makeup and hair products for those who wish to access them. While this may not seem like a high priority to some, this is one of the rarest and most valuable resources in the Downtown Eastside.

Advocacy services: Advocacy services are delivered to women who require assistance with legal or governmental bodies. The DEWC Specialized Services team works diligently to support women in navigating the complexities of the healthcare, justice, and public systems, as well as the daily challenges women continue to face, which are shaped by systemic inequity.

The Chinese Seniors Outreach: program offers community building, isolation supports, translations, institution and document navigation, transportation to appointments, and advocacy.

Indigenous Women’s Project: works with women, two-Spirit and gender diverse folks to develop and implement cultural, recreational, social and/or Indigenous educational activities. It provides emotional support to our members surrounding residential school trauma, cultural isolation, racism and violence. Participants advocate for immediate and urgent responses from policymakers to improve the lives of Indigenous women.

The Housing Outreach Program: provides vital support to women who are unhoused or at risk of losing their housing. With 11 staff working from the drop-in centres and shelters to support more than 200 women in search of safe, affordable housing. The program works to advocate for access to women’s housing opportunities, decrease barriers to housing, and support women to feel empowered in the community.

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 its meal provisions, 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 Skills Development program creates a bridge connecting women with DEWC services while providing opportunities for Peers to support their community and gain confidence and skills.

The Victim Services & Sexual Assault Response: Women in the Downtown Eastside face increased levels of violence in their daily lives, including assault, rape, theft and emotional abuse. The program offers culturally safe, trauma-informed support to survivors of crime and violence.
The Sexual Assault Response program provides ongoing support and assistance to survivors of sexual violence. Staff provide emotional support, collect evidence when asked, go on accompaniments to court, hospital or any other judicial-related systems, and offer referrals to appropriate resources. In cases of intimate partner assaults, their staff can also support women with creating a safety plan and looking for alternative housing.

604-681-8480 (Drop-In Centre)

Public email: sara.nunez@dewc.ca

Website: https://dewc.ca/

302 Columbia Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6A 4J1

Hours of Operation: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday: 9:30 AM – 5:00 PM, Tuesday: 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM.

Public email: adriana.hernandez@dewc.ca

25 East Hastings Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6A 1M9

Hours: Tuesday to Saturday 2:30 PM – 10:00 PM.

Service is available in Cantonese, English, and Mandarin.

Cost: No cost