Home

Home

Welcome to the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre

Serving women in the Downtown Eastside since 1978

0

Meals served in the last year

0

Service sites

0

Women receive housing services each year

0

Cumulated participants in weekly activities in the last year

Spotlight

Herstory Fundraising Gala

Herstory Fundraising Gala

On Thursday, March 5th, 2026 we will be hosting our 10th annual Herstory Fundraising Gala!

Donation Needs

Urgently needed items

Urgently needed items

    • Blankets for our shelter locations!
    • Underwear
    • Socks
    • Winter and Rain Jackets
    • Toiletries
    • Chocolates and flowers for Valentine's Day, Mother's Day and Easter

Click below to see all needs, site by site.

Latest News

Press release: Call for immediate provincial support for sex worker services amidst epidemic of gender-based violence in bc

Press release: Call for immediate provincial support for sex worker services amidst epidemic of gender-based violence in bc

Sex worker-led and feminist organizations in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside (DTES), and First Nations, are urging the Province of British Columbia to allocate stable and enhanced funding for critical programs serving sex workers, warning that ongoing closures and service reductions of sex worker supports are putting lives at risk.

Our Programs

Basic Needs icon

Basic Needs

Meal program icon

Meal program

Throughout our 3 professional kitchens, staff and volunteers make close to 1000 meals every day for women and their kids. Breakfast, lunch and dinners are served at our sites, as well as afternoon snacks.

Safe washrooms icon

Safe washrooms

This may not seem like much, but safe washrooms can be hard to find in the Downtown Eastside, especially for women.

Personal Specialized Services icon

Personal Specialized Services

Housing support icon

Housing support

The Housing Team works hard to help break down barriers for our members accessing stable housing.

Advocacy icon

Advocacy

Advocacy services are delivered to women and gender-diverse folks who require assistance with legal or governmental bodies.

Victim services & sexual assault response icon

Victim services & sexual assault response

Victim Services offers culturally-safe, trauma-informed support to women and gender diverse survivors of crime and violence.

Cultural Programming icon

Cultural Programming

Celebrations & activities icon

Celebrations & activities

A variety of celebrations, workshops and fun-nights that incorporate the transformative power of culture, and recognize the diverse backgrounds of our members.

Indigenous Women’s Project icon

Indigenous Women’s Project

This program works with women, Two-Spirit and gender-diverse folks to develop and implement cultural, recreational, social and/or Indigenous educational activities.

Chinese Seniors Outreach icon

Chinese Seniors Outreach

Our Chinese Seniors Outreach Program offers community building, isolation supports, translations, institution navigation, transportation to appointments, and advocacy.

Community and Connection icon

Community and Connection

Skills development icon

Skills development

This program trains those accessing our services on topics such as life-skills development, health and safety, and certification such as first aid and food safety.