Downtown Eastside Church Plans to Convert Itself Into Social Housing

Vancouver's Downtown Eastside's First United Church plans to make history through its latest fundraising effort. The church hopes to raise $31 million to convert its building, the church itself, into a social housing complex for local homeless and low income individuals. It's an unorthodox move, but one that the church feels has been a long time coming. Sunday services were cancelled two years ago after congregation numbers dwindled to minuscule levels. The church's minister and staff noticed that while no one was showing up to Sunday services, hundreds of locals would arrive every morning for food and shelter. It was then that the minister made a decision to close the church and convert it into a homeless shelter.

Today up to 350 local homeless people sleep in the church every night. The pews were removed, the organ sold, and the pulpit was put in storage. Bunks now line the floors of the church during the night, and removed at daybreak to make way for a soup kitchen. The shelter is funded in part by the City of Vancouver.

With growing numbers of locals flocking to the church every night for shelter, the First United Church's minister acknowledges that the church's role in the neighbourhood has changed. First founded in 1885, the church traditionally offered spiritual guidance and relief to local residents. In recent years however, the church understands its role more as a provider of physical relief. Individuals with no food and nowhere to live have little need for a sermon. While the actual tasks carried out by the church has changed in recent years, the minister says its commitment to its community remains unwavering.

The First United Church is now looking to make its role as service provider more permanent. The church has launched a fundraising campaign hoping to raise $31 million to convert the old church structure into permanent social housing. The redevelopment plan calls for the existing church to be replaced by a main services and administration building, linked to two housing towers. The image above depicts what the project should look like once complete.

Federal and Provincial funding is yet to fall into place for the project, but the church is hopeful that this will come soon. During the two-year project, the church plans to rent space nearby to continue its role as a local shelter for homeless individuals every night.

“We have always served the needs of the community here, so this is just an extension of what we’ve been doing,” said Sandra Severs, deputy executive minister of the First United Church.

Image: Globe & Mail