Struggles in the Downtown East Side.

  The Downtown East Side is a residence filled with individuals ranging from wealthy to poor, but along the corner of Hastings and Main rests the poorest location in the poorest postal code in Canada. In the downtown East Side of Vancouver rest several issues that are passively being ignore; such as poverty, prostitution, violence and drug use. Although the government still ceases to view these issues as dominant. There have been attempts in creating further progress in returning this residential postal code back to its pre-dominate stage of beauty. Poverty is the base issue and category which prostitution, violence, and drug use fall under. Each of these specific issues revolves heavily around the factor of poverty. Although poverty is not an issue that contains simple solutions, if we are able to fix the issues revolving around poverty, and that enable poverty to remain as a dominate issue in the Downtown East Side; there will be decrease within the low income resident’s community, and the homeless.

  Women located in the Downtown East Side whom are involved in the sex trade face multiple dangers, violence, isolation and illness. A creation such as the Mobile Access Project provides emergency medical assistance, counseling, condoms, clean needles and resourceful information. MAP was a very successful project; specific individuals reported saying this program made them feel “safer on the streets". MAP has emerged as a viable harm reduction source for serving in immediate health and trauma related needs for women involved in street-level sex work within the Downtown East Side. More than 60 women have disappeared from the neighborhood in the past decade. Prostitution is an extremely complicated topic, although the exchange of money for sex is legal, it’s the activities associated within the topic which are the remaining problem. There has been much talk about decriminalizing sex work to create a safer environment, but there is an opposing party who believes it will create an unsafe environment for vulnerable women and children. The ideology of assimilating prostitution is merely impossible, but if the society, police, politicians and the government made a safer and secure environment for sex trade workers, the accessibility and environment will alter in a positive direction.

  Violence has primary been seen amongst women in the Downtown Eastside community. There have been an increased number of patrolling police officers in this location. Although it is very seldom that victims of violence talk to the police, it is believed that an estimate of 500-800 beatings, rapes, robberies and knifings take place. The creation of the “Bad Date List “by John Torvery a social activist is where reports from prostitutes if violence against them can be stated.

  Due to the unsanitary usage of drugs in the Downtown East Side, it has the highest HIV rate in North America which affects 30% of the local population; specifically women. The corner of Hastings and Main is the epicenter for drug usage in all of North America. Several individuals take drastic measures for the assurance of reaching the "ultimate high". Insite is a location that creates a safe environment for drug users; it saves several live by providing clean needles and counseling. Insite is the main cause for the drastic change revolving around the amount of drug users remaining in ally’s and on the streets.

  The subject Downtown East Side is very large, and at times can be overwhelming due to the amount of problems remaining within the location. Although the Downtown Eastside is viewed as a form of beauty, the lack of development is causing more harm and danger. The massive amount of poverty, prostitution and drug usage is draining the few positives remaining in Downtown Vancouver. My point solely remains around the ideology that change needs to occur, without the assistance of civilians, political figures and the government change will not be achieved.



Questions that I have been asking myself lately, and that I would like for you readers to think about is how did Vancouver's Downtown Eastside end up in the position it is in now?
What are the causes?
And how can we change the alterations that are continuously developing?

                                                   The Downtown Eastside Introduction