Homelessness Action Week: Eastside Stride
byHomelessness Action Week (“HAW”) is coming up Saturday, October 12th to Sunday, October 20th and to participate, the Union Gospel Mission will be hosting a series of Downtown Eastside walking tours, called the Eastside Stride. Visitors will be hosted by a local guide on a two-hour tour around the neighbourhood to learn about its history.
Developed by Union Gospel Mission, in partnership with Mission Possible and with support from the City of Vancouver, the “Eastside Stride” exists to show the beauty, rich history, and diverse groups that comprise the neighbourhoods while considering some of the issues that have impacted the area for a long time.
It also offers employment to those with barriers in an empowering and dignified manner. Guides lead the walk and a trained outreach worker accompanies.
Last year, its inaugural year, UGM had initially scheduled 20 tours, but as demand grew, the charity opened and filled 15 more. This year 45 walks are scheduled.
Eastside Stride
- To learn about an often misunderstood part of Vancouver
- To learn about the beauty, rich history and the diverse groups that comprise the neighbourhoods
- To considering some of the issues that have impacted the area for a long time.
When: Saturday, October 12th and Tuesday, October 15th to Sunday, October 20th, 2013
Where: All walks begin in the UGM lobby (601 East Hastings)
Tours: Walking tours pass through Oppenheimer, Chinatown, Gastown, Strathcona, and the Hastings Corridor. Offered at no charge.
You can take the tour two ways: guided, in-person or via the audio tour through their cell phone with headphones. Guided tours are pre-arranged and can be signed up for online. Audio tours can be taken anytime during the daylight hours of HAW.
Homelessness Action Week officially kicks off at UGM on Monday, October 14th, with the annual Thanksgiving tradition where over 3,000 meals for the DTES community will be served from 10:30am to 4:00pm. 170 turkeys will be served that day.
