Employ To Empower | Vancouver Charity

Vancouver Downtown Eastside Charity.

We Are Employ

To Empower.

We Focus On Long-Term Support In the DTES.

Employ to Empower supports residents in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside community by providing access to development and entrepreneurial resources. Our resources include affordable microloans and business mentorship, with the goal of having a long-term impact on our members’ personal and economic well being. We also actively advocate for creating positive social change in the Downtown Eastside.

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Testimonials.

“I want to spend a meaningful portion of my time on non-profit activities that have the possibility to benefit our community in a positive way, even if only in a small way. I really believe in the “ripple effect”. Individual stones we throw into the water may be small, but the ripples they produce travel great distances. It’s the possibility for social change by the cumulative effect of many small, positive and individual actions that I find most exciting. And I look forward to tossing a lot more stones into the water through my involvement with Employ to Empower!”
Scott ShawDonor & Co-Founder of Sutton Realty

“Something that I leave every ETE event with is a sense of genuine connectedness to the individuals that I had met, and to those ETE has supported. From the attendees, to the volunteers, to the organizers, there is no doubt in your mind that ETE cares - whole-heartedly, passionately, and limitlessly.”
Charissa LandichoETE Attendee

“Being a part of Employ to Empower has opened up a lot of doors for me and I'm really grateful for that. Employ to Empower supports me and since joining, new aspects of my art are being shown in a variety of different ways. People want—and are taking the time—to hear my story.”
Deirdre PinnockPolitical Rughooker and Fibre Artist

Employ To Empower Initiatives.

Entrepreneurship

Our entrepreneurship program supports residents and their business aspirations through personalized weekly mentorship sessions and access to affordable microloans.

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Street Store

The Vancouver Street Store is an annual, free, pop-up clothing store that offers a dignified shopping experience to residents in the Downtown Eastside by Employ To Empower.

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Cardboard Project

The Cardboard Project centres around the unveiling of a unique artwork created using messages written on cardboard, contributed by the Downtown Eastside community.

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Advocacy

We actively engage in advocacy work in the broader community and are committed to bringing about positive social change for our Downtown Eastside and its residents.

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Why We Do It.

Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside is considered one of the poorest neighbourhoods in Canada. Currently, there are many amazing non-profits tackling the issue of homelessness, and while this is important, we also believe it is equally essential to support people in the long term. Our goal is for people to succeed financially, socially, and mentally.

We strongly believe that no matter what your socioeconomic status, physical appearance, life experiences, and personal choices, we all experience the same emotional spectrum, and we all deserve to feel seen, heard, and validated. We aim to make sure our members are seen, heard and validated by empowering their self confidence and sense of worthiness.

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Our Corporate

Supporters.

We take a well-rounded approach to help members of the Downtown Eastside move towards self-sufficiency and we ask our corporate partners to join us and do the same. Through the support of our partners, Employ To Empower is able not only to keep supporting our members, but also to raise awareness of the Downtown Eastside community. We allow our corporate supporters come in any vertical they feel comfortable supporting with. Interested in supporting us? Click below to learn about all our offerings.

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