Employment & Training Opportunities for Residents

The Great Beginnings Program supports projects that hire, train and provide meaningful skills-building opportunities to Downtown Eastside residents, including those who suffer from mental health and addiction, female immigrants, and the local homeless and under housed population.

Each employment or skills-building opportunity through the program is managed separately and takes into account the person’s abilities; for example, some employees may only work one or two hours per week on a casual basis (low-threshold employment), while others may be able to successfully be employed through one initiative on a long-term and full-time basis. 

Great Beginnings Program projects are community based, long-term and sustainable. Where projects are not long-term, employees and volunteers have the opportunity for valuable training, skills-acquisition and business acumen. The program brings a positive outcome for individuals’ future employment.

Great Beginnings Program employment and skills-building opportunities:

Hiring and training of local artists to produce murals and other items for arts and culture and festival projects; including: Princess Avenue Interpretive Walk, After Homelessness, and The Heart of the City Festivals.

 

 

 

Volunteer opportunities for local homeless and under-housed individuals through projects such as the First United Church Short Term Cart and Belongings Facility and the annual HomeGround event.

 

 

 

Honorariums and skills training provided to members of community service organizations such as VANDU (the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users) for participation in the Toilet Monitoring and DTES Pedestrian Safety projects.

 

 

 

Sewing employment for women, including recent immigrants and refugees, single mothers who cannot obtain typical full- or part-time employment, local Aboriginal women, local Afghan women, and women who suffer from mental or physical disabilities.

 

 

 

Street micro-cleaning employment for members of Coast Mental Health Foundation and United We Can - not for profits that accommodate individuals with mental health and addictions, in addition to individuals who are in need of easy-to-access employment.

 

 

 

Graffiti removal and various neighbourhood clean up work opportunities for members of local faith-based not for profits (Mission Possible).

 

 

 

Providing opportunities to participate in writing workshops. Workshop participant’s work is subsequently commissioned and published in local publications, including Megaphone.

 

Commissioned the totem carving talents of local aboriginal artists for the Blood Alley Greening, Oppenheimer House Post projects. 

For further information, please contact:

Sandra Nikolic
604.873.7262