Programs and Services

cdi team

Free drop-in meals served weekly at Downtown Eastside Neighbourhood House (573 East Hastings Street). Please contact cdi@dtesnhouse.ca for more information.

Monday (Closed all Statuary Holidays)
Oatmeal 10:00 am

Wednesday
Oatmeal 10:00 am
Hot Lunch 12:30 pm

School Outs Team

Various programming for school-age children. Please contact kidskitchen@dtesnhouse.ca to register your child.

Kids Tutoring
Mondays 3:00 - 6:00 pm (Closed all Statuary Holidays)

Drawing & Painting with Arts Umbrella
Wednesdays 3:30 - 5:00 pm

Kids Kitchen
Fridays 3:00 – 6:00 pm

Group of six diverse people in a kitchen, some smiling, one wearing a face mask, with a counter, kitchen sink, and colorful posters in the background.

Free drop-in meal and activities for caregivers and their children. Please contact fdi@dtesnhouse.ca for more information.

Family Drop-in
Tuesdays & Thursdays 3:00 - 6:00 pm

Early Years Drop-in
Fridays 9:00 - 11:30 am.

People participating in a yoga or exercise class in a studio, practicing downward dog poses on yoga mats.

Monday
1:30 - 2:30 pm

Saturday
3:30 - 4:00 pm

Person handing a banana to another person near a yellow basket filled with bananas on the street.

Smoothie Tuesday and Banana Beat Wednesday on every cheque week of the month. Please contact ops@dtesnhouse.ca for more information.

Smoothie Tuesday
Various Pop-up Locations

Banana Beat Wednesday
8:00 - 9:00 am, various routes long E. Hastings, Oppenheimer Park, etc.

Illustration of a community space with people, plants, and a bicycle, promoting a renovation capital campaign for 2025-2026.
Storefront with a sign that says 'Downtown Eastside Neighbourhood,' a red-leafed tree in a painted container with a swan in a wetland scene, and large windows revealing a brightly lit interior.

  • The Downtown Eastside Neighbourhood House's mandate is to provide programming and educational, leadership, social, and recreational opportunities to residents of Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.

  • To provide a dignified welcoming space that creates and supports an improved quality of life for the DTES community.

  • The secular, grassroots Downtown Eastside Neighbourhood House (DTES NH) aims to provide meaningful opportunities for our neighbours to engage with and contribute to their community in an equitable atmosphere of sharing and learning.

    We welcome people of all ancestries, genders, ages, and orientations. Our programming honours and is inspired by the cultural diversity of the DTES and respects the fact that most of our neighbours are coping with significant socioeconomic and/or physical limitations in their daily lives.

    Given the wide-reaching effects of nutritional vulnerability in our community, the founders of the DTES NH put the Right to Food at the heart of our work. We believe that everyone deserves access to food that enhances both their physical and mental wellbeing. Through our food-centered programming, we aspire to reform the nutritional impact, quality, abundance, and delivery of food in the DTES community.

WE’RE LOOKING FOR BOARD DIRECTORS!

A smiling woman with black hair in a blue top standing outdoors with greenery in the background.
Close-up of a smiling woman with curly black hair wearing glasses, hoop earrings, layered necklaces, and a white top with colorful stripes, in an indoor setting.
A man with curly dark hair, glasses, and a beard, wearing a dark green sweater, sitting indoors with a neutral expression.

Are you passionate about equity, food justice, and community-driven leadership? Come join our working board at the Downtown Eastside Neighbourhood House!

Every year, we welcome nearly 9,000 residents into our programs—centered on nourishment, connection, and community wellness. Now, we’re inviting new directors to help guide our mission and uplift our work.

What we’re looking for? If you bring experience in:

  • Legal (non-profit/charity)

  • HR

  • Fundraising

  • Accounting (CPA)

  • Project Management or other leadership fields

  • Commit to a 2-year term, approximately 5 hours/month

Apply by June 30, 2025 to be considered for election at our September AGM.

💛 Join us and make a difference.

💛 Join us and make a difference.

Group portrait of nine diverse adults, some in formal business attire, posing in an office setting, with the words 'Board of Directors' in yellow text above them.

We’re proud to launch the Downtown Eastside Neighbourhood House Community Cookbook 2024!

Rooted in the stories, resilience, and creativity of our vibrant community, this cookbook is more than just a collection of recipes—it’s a celebration of food as culture, care, and connection.

With dishes contributed by neighbours, program participants, and volunteers, the Community Cookbook offers over 60 recipes from across the globe: Afghan dumplings, Nigerian fried rice, Persian adas polo, Bunny Chow, Sindhi vegetable curry, Jamaican curry goat, silken tofu mousse, and many more. Each page reflects the cultural richness of the Downtown Eastside and the ways in which food brings us together.

From community kitchens to family celebrations, these recipes hold memory and meaning. Some are comfort meals made in times of need. Others are celebratory dishes passed down through generations. Many were created or reimagined within our programming, where folks gather weekly to cook, share, and nourish one another.

This project was made possible through our long-standing collaboration with UBC’s Urban Ethnographic Field School. Their students worked alongside community members to gather stories and document the creative process—from interviews and photography to artwork and design. It was a true community effort from start to finish.

Whether you’re looking for hearty meals, quick snacks, or a taste of global home cooking, this book offers something for everyone. We hope it inspires you to cook with intention, share meals with care, and celebrate the power of food in your own life.

✨ Because at DTES Neighbourhood House✨ nutritious food is for everyone

📍 Come by the House to pick up your copy or reach out for digital access.

The logo of the University of British Columbia with its name.
A cook preparing fresh vegetables including red onions, cilantro, and dill on a kitchen counter, with a cookbook titled 'Downtown Eastside Neighbourhood House Community Cookbook' above the image.
Black and white illustration of five women preparing food together in a kitchen, with the text 'Nutritious food is for everyone!' underneath.
Black circular logo with yellow outline of a blender in the center. Text around the logo reads 'INOBLE SMOOTHIE PROJECT,' with 'ESTD 2005' on the sides.

Learn more 🍌

Smoothie Season Has Officially Started!

Join us every Tuesday from 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM outside our doors for fresh, seasonal fruit smoothies — with milk or dairy-free!

This delicious initiative is part of our Nutritional Outreach Program (yes, it’s Banana Beat’s healthy cousin!) and will run all summer long.

Come cool down, fuel up, and connect with your neighbours — one smoothie at a time!

Woman smiling as she blends a chocolate smoothie in a blender at a store or cafe, with a bright window and yellow crates in the background.
Two people standing outside the Eastside Neighborhood House, a community center, with a man waving and a woman smiling, in front of a table with cups of juice, under a sign that says 'Tasty Smoothies Tuesday'.
Yellow shopping cart with a black sign attached, advertising Banana Beat, a weekly event on Wednesdays. The sign features yellow banana illustrations and contains keywords like Downtown, Eastside, Neighbourhood, and House. There is also a yellow starburst with a banana graphic and a phone number.

Learn more 🍌

Our Nutritional Outreach (NO) programs: Banana Beat and the Mobile Smoothie Project are two initiatives that aim to provide essential nutrients on the days that low-income residents of the Downtown Eastside are least likely to have access to nutrition.

Learn more ->

Celebrating 20 years with a yellow background featuring a banana illustration, bold black text saying "This is bananas", and a website address "dtenhouse.ca" alongside a QR code.
Colorful speech bubbles with the words 'Follow Us!' in uppercase letters, with a gradient from pink to orange to blue.

Stay in the loop! Follow us on social media to get the latest updates on our community programs, events, and free courses.

Be the first to know what’s happening at the House — we’d love to see you there! 💛 #DTESNH

View fullsize 🧡 Do you know what to do in case of an overdose emergency? Come learn with us! 🩺 Naloxone Training 📅 Wednesday, June 12 🕛 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM 📍 Downtown Eastside Neighbourhood House This free workshop is a chance to learn how to respond s
View fullsize 🌟 Thank You, Forever Yours Lingerie! 🌟 This past May, the amazing team at Forever Yours Lingerie chose to include us in their community campaign — organizing a fundraiser to support our programs and our Capital Renovation Campaign! 💛 When
View fullsize 📣 Community Support in Action! We’re excited to share the launch of United We Can’s Mobile Depot Program—an accessible and inclusive bottle return service right here in the Downtown Eastside. ♻️ Bring your refundable beverage con
View fullsize ⚽ SOCCER BALLS NEEDED! ⚽ Our Kids in Motion summer soccer program is getting ready to kick off, and we need your help! We’re looking for gently used size 3 and 4 soccer balls to support up to 16 amazing young players in our community. ✨ We al
View fullsize Help us nourish connection, play, and learning through our Early Years Breakfast Program! 🌞 Volunteer Fridays • 9:00AM–12:30PM We’re looking for volunteers who can commit to Friday mornings for 3 months to support families with chi
View fullsize Just moments ago, we were honoured to receive the Superintendent’s Tribute from the Vancouver School Board. This beautifully crafted gift—a cedar panel featuring a Coast Salish canoe—was presented to the Downtown Eastside Neighbour
View fullsize 🌟 WE’RE LOOKING FOR BOARD DIRECTORS! 🌟 Are you passionate about equity, food justice, and community-driven leadership? Come join our working board at the Downtown Eastside Neighbourhood House! 🧡 Every year, we welcome nearly 9,000 residents
View fullsize 🖤💚 To our Anonymous Donors… Thank you. You may not leave your name, but your impact is deeply felt. Each monthly donation—seen or unseen—helps us keep our doors open, our fridges full, and our community nourished. If you’
View fullsize 🩸 Join us in Celebrating International Menstrual Health Day! 🩸 At the Downtown Eastside Neighbourhood House, we’re proud to present: ✨ “Periods Speak Loud: Your Cycle, Your Voice, Your Power” ✨ A menstrual awareness workshop for