COMMUNITY RESOURCE LIST
PEERS (Prostitutes Empowerment Education Resource Society Vancouver)
Contact: 323 - 119 West Pender Street Vancouver BC V6B 1S3
Phone: 604-681-3017
Web: www.peersvancouver.org
PEERS Vancouver is a non-profit organization established by former sex workers and their community supporters. PEERS seeks to improve the lives of current and former sex workers by assisting them in exiting from sex work involvement.
PACE (Prostitutes Alternatives Counseling and Education Society)
Contact: 416- 119 West Pender St. Vancouver BC
Phone: 604-872-7651
Web: www.pace-society.ca
PACE offers non-judgmental alternatives and empowerment to those susceptible to, or exiting sex work. Services include counseling, education, advocacy, peer education, and support, individual case planning and coordination, access to services for individuals involved in the criminal justice system and accompaniment.
SWAN (Sex Workers Advocacy Network)
Contact: P.O. Box 21520 1424 Commercial Dr. Vancouver, BC V5L 5G2
Phone: 604-719-6343
Email: Swanvancouver@hotmail.com
SWAN is a group of women working to make massage parlor work safer, to inform women about rights and to bring forward working women's opinions into public policy and social services.
WISH Drop in Center (Women's Information Safe Haven)
Contact: First United Church (Gore St, entrance) 320 East Hastings st. Vancouver
Phone: 604-681-9244
Web: www.wish-vancouver.net
WISH provides a welcoming, non-judgmental environment where women are able to experience acceptance and genuine care and concern for their well-being. The drop in center provides a safe and caring atmosphere for female sex workers, hot meal, access to clothing, showers, personal care items, nursing care, links to shelters and referrals to services who can assist with meeting more of the needs of participants.
Bad date report - Current updates on violent or predatory dates by and for sex workers 604-669-9474
MAP (Mobile Access Project)
Contact: 604-720-5686
The MAP van is a partnership between the PACE society and the WISH Drop in Center. The van provides outreach to sex workers (counseling, condoms and clean needles basic first aid and immediate response to emergency services) as well as bad date reporting. The programs also provide training and employment opportunities for former sex workers with emphasis on a peer support model for women accessing the van. The MAP van makes stops all across Vancouver 7 nights a week from 10:30 pm to 5:30 am.
The Maka Project
Contact: WISH Drop in Center
Phone: 604-681-9244
The project is a partnership between the WISH Drop-In Centre Society and the B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS. The Maka Project aims to use participatory action research to engage the community in addressing the barriers and harms faced by women survival sex workers and seeks to facilitate an experiential voice in the development of a relevant and sustainable HIV prevention, treatment and care program
The Health and Safety Project for Aboriginal Women Working in the Sex Trade
Contact: WISH Drop in Center
Phone: 604-681-9244
The Aboriginal Health and Safety Project is a partnership with Vancouver Native Health and WISH Drop-In Centre Society. The project addresses the results of stigmatization, discrimination and isolation from culture by re-introducing ceremonies and spiritual teachings combined with skill building and engagement activities. To date, this has included traditional drumming, smudging and pipe ceremony coupled with workshops from Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal groups that include information on relevant supports in the community.
Boys R Us Program
Contact: (mailing address only) 320- 1290 Hornby St Vancouver
Phone: 604-633-4200
Fax: 604-714-3478
Boys R Us is a weekly drop in center for male and transgender sex workers serving Vancouver's down town south community. The center offers a safe and confidential space for connecting with others including social activities such as dinner and movies. It also helps individuals to access resources such as health care, housing and community services. It is a joint project of Vancouver Coastal Health Authority and AIDS Vancouver.
Downtown Eastside Youth Activities Society (DEYAS)
Contact: 612 Main Street. Vancouver
Phone: 604-685-6561
Web: www.deyas.org
The Downtown Youth Activities Society helps individuals in Canada's poorest neighborhood to survive, get better and makes positive changes in their lives. They provide Youth Outreach program on the streets to help young people begin to address health problems, addiction, homelessness, the troubles of the sex trade and lack of education and unemployment.
Transgender Health Program
Contact: 604-734-1514 ext 4
Email: transhealth@vch.ca
Trans- identified sex worker drop in "Taking care of business" (TCOB) weekly support group, includes a nutritious meal.
The ORCHID Project
Contact: 119 West Pender Street, Vancouver
Phone: 604-669-5567
Email: orchid@asia.bc.ca
The project is based out of ASIA (Asian Society for the Intervention of AIDS) and targets Asian female sex workers (FSW) in Vancouver and the B.C. Lower Mainland.
ORCHID works with female sex workers in massage parlours and escort agencies to increase their awareness about HIV / AIDS transmission and prevention in a contextually and culturally appropriate and language specific manner. The ORCHID Project uses a peer-driven approach and is also supported with trained volunteer outreach hours.
Genesis Vancouver
Contact: 203 West 6th Ave. Vancouver, B.C.
Phone: 604-709-3432
Email: info@genesisvancouver.com
Web: www.genesisvancouver.com
Genesis Vancouver is a long-term recovery and reintegration program for mothers with children seeking a way out of sexual exploitation. Genesis Vancouver's program includes two key elements:. Long-term housing provides a safe and secure home for participants and their children. The Day Program provides a complete curriculum designed to guide participants through recovery from exploitation. The Day Program focuses on recovery, parenting skills, life-skills, education, and employment alternatives.
ONYX
Contact: 1134 Burrard Street Vancouver BC V6Z 1Y7
Phone: 604-708-2647
Email: onyx@plea.bc.ca
The Onyx Voluntary Safe Care program is offered in conjunction with PLEA Community Services Association to provide resources and case planning for sexually exploited youth aged 18 years and under. ONYX provides support services to youth that have been/are sexually exploited within the Vancouver Coastal Region, Tri-Cities, Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows. Support services include counseling, 1-1 support, advocacy, financial assistance (food, clothing, bus pass, etc.) housing and connection to community resources.
SMOKE (Strategy for Multicultural Outreach, Knowledge and Education)
Contact: P.O. Box 21520 1424 Commercial Dr. Vancouver, B.C.V5L 5G2
Phone: 604-719-6343
Email: Swanvancouver@hotmail.com
This is a three year project run by SWAN in collaboration with the Battered Women's Support Services to develop strategies to address issues related to sexual exploitation of women and girls in immigrant communities in the Greater Vancouver area.
Assistant Deputies Committee (ADM) on Prostitution and Sexual Exploitation
This is a group of 8 provincial ministries that work together to focus on the sexual exploitation of children and youth. They provide funding to local communities organizations and groups to build capacity throughout BC communities.
Vancouver Community Action Team (VCAT)
The Vancouver Community Action Team (VCAT), funded by the ADM's Committee, is a collaboration of organizations in Vancouver who work to develop strategies to prevent sexual exploitation and support youth who are being exploited.
Broadway Youth Resource Centre
Contact: 691 East Broadway St. Vancouver, BC V5T 1X7
The Broadway Youth Resource Centre (BYRC) is a grassroots, co-operative working relationship of social service agencies, a community college, a University and three levels of government. The purpose of this innovative multi-agency model is to provide a seamless continuum of integrated community-based social and health services to at-risk youth. Services provided include housing information, medical services, drug & alcohol counseling, employment programs, support for young parents, Aboriginal Youth/Cultural Worker, Aboriginal Youth Victim Support Worker, Vietnamese
Youth Program, Health Clinic, The L.O.V.E. (Leave Out Violence) Program,
Probation Workers, Youth to Adult Transition Program, Youth ABE (Adult Basic
Education) School, Youth Arts and Media Gallery, access to free computers, phones, fax machines, workshops, activities, special events and celebrations, food, refreshments and many other services and referral opportunities.
Downtown Eastside Women's Centre
Contact: 302 Columbia Street, Vancouver, BC, V6A 4J1 Canada
Tel: (604) 681-8480
Fax: (604) 681-8470
Web: www.dewc.ca
The Downtown Eastside Women's Centre exists to support and empower women and children living in extreme poverty in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, British Columbia The center provides practical support to over 250 women and children daily by providing a comfortable and safe drop-in centre, operating an emergency night-time shelter, self help programs, referrals, hot meals, laundry, phone access, cultural and recreational programs, clothes and toiletries, long-term skills development, a peer-driven volunteer program, as well as providing support for Victim Assistance, Violence Counseling, Mental Health Advocacy, Legal Advocacy, and HIV Outreach.
McCreary Youth Foundation
Contact: 3552 Hastings Street East Vancouver, BC V5K 2A7
Tel: 604-299-1609
Email: info@myfoundation.ca
Web: www.myfoundation.ca
The foundation aims to work in partnership with community and philanthropic organizations, government and the private sector to develop and fund programs and policies that can make a tangible difference in the lives of B.C.'s young people.
The Foundation's first major undertaking is to address the issues and needs of Commercially Sexually Exploited Youth in British Columbia.
Urban Native Youth Association (UNYA)
Contact: 1640 East Hastings St., Vancouver, B.C.
UNYA Administration
Phone: (604) 254-7732
Fax: (604) 254-7811
Email: unyainfo@unya.bc.ca
Web: www.unya.bc.ca
UNYA assists Native youth to leave their street lifestyles, and works to deter native children from ever entering street life. UNYA offers preventative programs in areas such as recreation, education, and personal support to meet youth's immediate and long-term needs. UNYA has also developed a manual on sexually exploited Native youth issues in Vancouver. The manual includes a section for parents and youth that provides important information such as: scenarios of recruitment, ways in which parents can talk to their children about sexual exploitation, and where youth or their parents or guardians can go for help
Children of the Street Society
Contact: 208 -1130 Austin Avenue Coquitlam, BC V3K 3P5.
Phone: 604-777-7510
Toll Free: 1-877-551-6611
Fax: 604-525-0024
Email: childrenofthestreet@telus.net
Web: www.childrenofthestreet.com
Children of the Street is a non-profit organization consisting of citizens ofthe community who are concerned about the growing numbers of young people being sexually exploited. Their main goal is to increase public awareness about this problem by providing education and prevention strategies for families, educators and service providers. They also lobby government at all levels for changes in legislation that will help protect young people, support families and penalize criminals who exploit children.
Children of the Street Society, sponsors dynamic workshops led by youth trained in theatre and group facilitation. Presenters engage students through lively skits, role plays and discussion in 50- minute interactive presentations.
Workshops are adapted to suit audience and provide students strategies and options to prevent sexual exploitation.
Directions Youth Services Center
Contact: 1134 Burrard St, Vancouver
Phone: 604.633.1472
Fax: 604.633.1473
Web: www.fsgv.ca/programpages/youthservices/directions
Directions Youth Services Centre, operated by Family Services of Greater Vancouver, provides Vancouver's homeless youth and youth at-risk with a single entry point to access the tools, support, and guidance they need to go about making healthy, positive changes in their lives. Directions strive to be accessible to all youth, regardless of their circumstances and fosters a culture of respect. Directions Youth Services Centre is working closely with the community to develop solutions to end youth homelessness in Vancouver and to change the community's perception of street-involved youth.
Aboriginal Mothers Center
Contact: 208-2019 Dundas Street Vancouver, BC V5L 1J5
Tel: 604-253-6262
Fax: 604-253-6263
Web: www.amcs.ca
E-mail: info@amcs.ca
The primary goal of the Aboriginal Mother Centre is to supply a continuum of programs and services to Aboriginal women and their children. The AMCS provides a safe, child-friendly setting where Aboriginal women (with or without children) can gather. Emphasis is on cooperation, volunteering, self-help, and grassroots community development.
The Centers offers free counseling and a 12-week traditional parenting skills program. And a meal program provides lunch and dinner to women and their children at no cost (lunch is at 12 noon and dinner is at 4 pm, Monday to Friday). They also offer donated clothing, household goods, and toys.
Aboriginal Front Door Society
Contact: 384 Main Street Vancouver, BC V6A 2T1
Tel: 604-697-5666
Fax: 604-801-5883
Email: Aline_afd@telus.net
Offers a supportive space where Aboriginal people in the Downtown Eastside can reconnect with traditional approaches to community and healing. Provides community meetings, adult education, arts and crafts, drumming, healing circles, and elder training. Functions as a culturally-relevant entry point towards drug and alcohol treatment. Hours are 8 am to 2 pm Monday to Friday.
Vancouver Native Health Society
Contact: 49 East Hasting St, Vancouver, BC, V6A 1P5
Tel: (604) 254-9949
Fax: (604) 254-9948
E-mail: vnhs@shawbiz.ca
Web: www.vnhs.net
Established in 1991, Vancouver Native Health Society (VNHS) delivers medical, counseling and social services, with an emphasis on providing care to the Aboriginal community. All programs are accessible without fees to native and non-native individuals residing in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. Among their many programs, are The Positive Outlook which provides care, treatment and support services to people living with HIV/AIDS in the downtown eastside of Vancouver, and Sheway, a program that provides comprehensive health and social services to women who are either pregnant or parenting children less than 18 months old and who are experiencing current or previous issues with substance use
Other Resources and Support
• Safe Online Outreach www.safeonlineoutreach.com
• Children of the Street Society www.childrenofthestreet.com
• PLEA Community Services Society of BC www.plea.bc.ca
• Be Web Aware www.bewebaware.ca
• Cyber Wise www.cyberwise.ca
• Sexual Exploitation Toolkit, developed by the Justice Institute www.jibc.ca/seytoolkit/prev.htm
• Needle Pickup Hotline 604-657-6561
• BC NurseLine to speak to a registered nurse, available 24-hours every day:
In Greater Vancouver, call 604-215-4700
In BC, call toll-free 1-866-215-4700
Deaf and hearing-impaired, call 1-866-889-4700