01-22-2025

Exchange Inner City has created an interactive database to serve as a bridge to the many low-barrier income-generating opportunities and supports available in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. This resource hub helps those navigating complex systems while seeking ways to improve their livelihoods. Designed with care and accessibility in mind, it supports non-profit staff, referral agencies, and individuals in their journey to discover meaningful opportunities that foster stability and growth.

Through numerous conversations with community members and organizations, we consistently heard the same need: a centralized, reliable resource that highlights opportunities in the DTES and goes beyond personal referrals or word of mouth. This database aims to meet that need by showcasing the full spectrum of opportunities—peer work, supported employment, training, community connections, and volunteering.

By simplifying access to these opportunities, this resource empowers individuals facing systemic barriers, helping them take steps toward financial stability, skill-building, and enhanced well-being. It is also a crucial tool for outreach workers and non-profits, enabling them to better support the people they serve. At its core, this hub is about providing access to supportive and dignified work opportunities, building connections, fostering resilience, and creating pathways toward a brighter future for all.

To access the database, visit: http://opportunities.exchangeced.com

To discuss the DTES Opportunities Database, email John Zador, EIC’s Community Engagement & Communications Coordinator, at: john@exchangeced.com