Community Engagement & Government Relations

The needs of Vancouver’s DTES are vast and multifaceted. From housing to community economic development, to health and safety, people in our community face multiple barriers to accessing resources.

UGM wanted to find a way to support the community, which developed into a “one stop shop” of services concept - UGM’s annual Summer Connect event. We invite service providers and provide them with booths, and create a temporary, accessible space for the community. Guests who drop by are able to either receive the services they need immediately or be referred to the relevant organizations. Barbers on site provide free haircuts, live musicians play throughout the event, and a hot meal is served to all who come.

Each year in June, Summer Connect continues to grow as we support the community’s needs. At our last event in 2024, we hosted 32 service providers, served 1900 meals, and welcomed 2,400+ attendees.

Thank you to all our service providers of this past year:  

UGM’s annual Summer BBQ is our largest celebration of the year, serving over 4,000 meals to families and members of the Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside community. We gather at a public park for a carnival-style day of games, face painting, bouncy castles, delicious food, music, and, most importantly, relationship building. We also hire peer workers through partner organizations to provide employment opportunities for low-income individuals.

Summer BBQ gives our outreach teams the opportunity to connect with guests in a relaxing and joyous atmosphere, in a part of the neighbourhood they are familiar with. These conversations over a nutritious barbeque meal or a game of cribbage can turn into a new chapter for someone seeking support in recovery, safe and stable housing, or support for their whole family.

On a quarterly basis, in our DTES Cornerstone Drop-in Centre, we host our highly anticipated Super Clinic. A similar concept to our Summer Connect, we host a “one-stop-shop" for vital services specifically around Government support. The Super Clinic gives people access to hundreds, possibly thousands of dollars in government support that could mean families get food on the table, or someone exits homelessness. In our space, community members are able to access services from the CRA, Service Canada, The Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction, Disability Alliance, Veteran Affairs, and Pigeon Park Banking (Vancity Banking).

UGM is proud to annually host SPEC’s Repair Cafe. In cooperation with the City of Vancouver, SPEC hosts repair cafes all over the city to support the city’s Zero Waste by 2040 goals. At this specific location, we offer low barrier opportunities for people in our community to get their items repaired whether it’s mending a pair of pants, fixing a toaster, or sprucing up their bike, we have seen priceless items be restored for good use.

Help Portrait Vancouver, part of the global Help Portrait community, and UGM partner annually to provide studio-quality photographs for community members. Photographers, makeup artists, and hair stylists are brought together for a one-day event during the Christmas season.

People have the option to get their hair and makeup done, and then their photos are taken, edited, and printed on the spot. At the same time, there are children’s activities and hot chocolate served. Holiday music plays throughout, and the atmosphere is full with joy.

For some people, they are coming for their fifth year in a row for an annual family, couples, or solo portrait. For others, it is their first time seeing a beautiful, professionally taken photo of themselves. The day is full of smiles and even some tears of joy.

We work with Elections BC and Elections Canada to make voting more accessible for community members, including holding advanced voting stations for community members and working with other Downtown Eastside organizations to encourage people from the community to vote.

We also developed alterative options for valid ID, including prescription bottles and library cards, so that people who do not have formal forms of ID can still vote. The lack of formal ID is a major obstacle in the Downtown Eastside, as theft is common and the process to replace ID contains many barriers.

Many people who had never voted before were able to finally cast a ballot because of our initiatives. This change in the elections process had such a positive outcome in removing barriers and allowing more people to vote. It was adapted across Canada.

Once a week in our Cornerstone Drop-in Centre, MSDPR Community Interaction Specialists (CIS) are set up to help serve our community on a consistent basis. They are able to help community members with income assistance, ID’s, and form assistance receiving vital services from the government.

Through strategic partnerships, UGM has sought to develop strong relationships with services provided by our provincial government. The Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction is mandated to improve the lives of British Columbians, particularly those facing poverty and accessibility challenges.

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UGM prioritizes continuum of care, offering both immediate support and long-term healing. Dr. Heidi Standeven, ND, Foundations Naturopathic Health Clinic provides free naturopathic care at UGM New Westminster, offering acupuncture, cupping, B12 injections, and primary care for those facing poverty, homelessness, or addiction.

Her clinic, open every other Wednesday, is always fully booked, with patients reporting significant relief, like Dwight, who regained mobility after treatment. By keeping services free, Dr. Heidi lowers barriers to healthcare and remains committed to community well-being.

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The City of Vancouver provides grants to organizations every fall to support events and projects that raise awareness of the issue of homelessness. As part of “Homelessness Action Week”, UGM has spearheaded programs including tours of the Downtown Eastside. We hired people from the DTES to work as tour guides and teach people about the community and area. We wanted people from Vancouver and beyond to understand this unique neighbourhood beyond what they see in the media and decrease stigma about the DTES area.

Another year, we created an educational escape room, Encounter, in partnership with EXIT Canada. Encounter revealed hidden barriers faced by people experiencing homelessness, and was developed alongside formerly homeless people. The experience allows participants to understand homelessness in a deeper way, and challenge their perceptions about homelessness.

Intersections: A Campaign About People was an immersive campaign that shared stories of individuals from across Metro Vancouver and their experiences with homelessness, poverty, and addiction. It invited people to learn about others whose lives may be similar to, yet incredibly different, than their own, and highlighted the similarities of the human experience that intersects us all.

Strategically placed QR codes that led to a landing page with these stories and information about homelessness throughout Metro Vancouver, and challenged people to vote with homelessness, addiction, and poverty in mind in the 2022 municipal election. QR codes were placed in strategic locations across the lower mainland, from high-traffic public spaces such as lampposts, community boards, and bus stops, to local establishments such as coffee shops, community centres, and libraries. At the end of the campaign, thousands of our QR codes had been distributed across five municipalities in Metro Vancouver, inspiring curiosity, and action for citizens in dozens of neighbourhoods. Intersections: A Campaign About People evoked empathy and a greater understanding that while each life is complex and nuanced, we are connected by the similarities of being human.

 

In 2016 and 2018, with academics, researchers, community organizations, and other key community stakeholders, Union Gospel Mission developed the No Vacancy Report that provided readers a point-in-time snapshot of the growing housing affordability crisis in Vancouver. Low-income families are faced with a stagnant supply of affordable housing options and low vacancy rates, contributing to an increasing level of unaffordability. The report focuses and brings awareness to the challenges low-income families encounter when trying to secure appropriate housing.

No Vacancy Report 2018

No Vacancy Report 2016