51社区黑料

Overview

For many years, we鈥檝e had the privilege of working alongside many of the non-profit social service organizations that operate in Vancouver鈥檚 Downtown Eastside (DTES). Working out of 312 Main, a centre for social and economic innovation that houses numerous social service organizations, every day we see the incredible work non-profits and community groups do to support the neighbourhood鈥檚 residents 鈥� work rooted in care, resilience, and solidarity. But we can see the impact that increasing social challenges with decreased resources are having on these organizations and the people that run them 鈥� community members are struggling, workers are burning out, non-profits are cutting programs, and climate change is only making things worse.

The crisis doesn鈥檛 just threaten ecosystems 鈥� it鈥檚 already affecting health and safety. Seniors, people on low or fixed incomes, those with pre-existing conditions, and folks facing stigma and marginalization are least equipped to adapt, yet are the most exposed. Nowhere is this truer than the DTES, a neighbourhood already carrying the weight of housing insecurity, poverty, and the drug- poisoning crisis.

Residents face hotter temperatures but have access to less trees and green space to cool down in. When wildfire smoke pollutes the air, residents without air conditioning aren鈥檛 able to close their windows. And those without access to housing are, and will continue to, endure increasingly extreme conditions without protection or access to resources. At the same time, the DTES is also a place of resilience, with peer-led networks, traditions of collective organizing, and non-profit and grassroots organizations that show up daily. Organizations are participating in build-your-own air filter programming, building cooling kits, checking in on friends during extreme weather alerts, and finding innovative ways to survive in an increasingly turbulent climate.

That鈥檚 why the Climate Resilience Roadmap for Non-Profits: From Crisis to Collective Power in Vancouver鈥檚 Downtown Eastside was created: to strengthen the sector鈥檚 ability to work together in more aligned ways with organizations and community members to anticipate, respond to, and recover from climate-related challenges.

At its heart, the Climate Resilience Roadmap is a practical, community-informed framework for action intended to support social service sectors in the DTES as well as in communities across Canada and beyond. Through co-creation workshops, the roadmap translates the lived expertise of DTES organizations into a collective plan for resilience. Beyond the DTES, the resources and tools offered through this roadmap can be shared across BC and Canada, and in other jurisdictions facing similar conditions.

This project begins with a simple truth: climate resilience must be built from within. The DTES is on the frontlines of multiple crises, but it is also home to enduring strengths and deep networks of care. The Climate Resilience Roadmap builds on that strength, offering a pathway for organizations, governments, and community members to work together for the challenges ahead in order to create a stronger and more resilient community.

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