Christmas messaging oftentimes emphasizes family and abundance, something that isn't always within reach for members of Vancouver's Downtown Eastside community.
The Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre shares that December is a particularly difficult time of year for its members and while they work tirelessly year-round to provide support, this time of year the impact of their work is typically under the spotlight.
What does the DEWC do?
The DEWC fulfills the basic needs of cis, trans, and two-spirit women in a safe, non-judgmental environment. The organization offers meals, emergency shelters, advocacy, victims services, housing outreach, seniors' outreach, as well as cultural and skills development programming.
"Everything done at DEWC has the intention of nurturing and empowering our members," says executive director Alice Kendall. "Every day is a new memory. Whether it be someone who is accessing DEWC’s services for the first time or a friendly face that we see every day – each person has their own story and comes from all different walks of life."
Kendall says that if she had to pick a specific moment of impact she would choose the Red Women Rising report.
Back in 2019 the voices of the DEWC members were collected, recorded, and amplified as part of the MMIWG2s National Inquiry which Kendall recalls was very powerful. "This is really what DEWC is about: acknowledging women's strength and resilience while amplifying their voices," she says, calling upon civil officials to "move further and faster" implementing the changes recommended by the report.
What help does the DEWC need from Vancouver?
The public can show solidarity with the work that the DEWC is doing by donating time, goods, or money which Kendall says helps tremendously. However, she adds that more than anything compassion and a better understanding of why the DTES community exists and why conditions are continuing to worsen are also needed.
"We also need a wider understanding of the specificities of being a woman in the Downtown Eastside, of the levels of violence they experience," Kendall explains.
She says that the issues faced in the Downtown Eastside all add up to the history of residential schools and the residual trauma that goes improperly supported in one of the world's most expensive cities.
“Civic officials need to build appropriate policies and funding decisions that recognize all of these issues,” she says.
Kendall suggests that affordable, safe housing and comprehensive care for all including addiction treatment for those who wish to seek it would constitute concrete solutions to the issues the DEWC faces on a daily basis.
Where will the public's donations go?
In a recent newsletter, DEWC announced that rates of violence and homelessness skyrocketed during the pandemic and never came back down and as a result the need for DEWC services and programs doubled in two years.
Donations made in the coming weeks will benefit special holiday meals and, due to the typical influx of holiday giving, will help fund programming in the subsequent months.
Monetary donations are the most helpful but DEWC is accepting physical donations including toiletries, clothing, and Christmas chocolates and cookies. Toys for kids aged one to nine and gift cards, sporting goods, and art supplies for teens are also on their wishlist which can be found here.
