COMMUNITY DROP-INS

ACCESSIBILITY STATEMENT

Our space @ 573 East Hastings
is accessible:

Front door: 34 inch width
No steps at entrance
Washroom door: 31 inch width
Toilet: 12 inch clearance on left side. The washroom has a handrail and is accessible to all genders.

Community Drop-in

☆ Mondays and Wednesday (for oatmeal breakfast). See calendar for times.

Program Lead: Kelsey cdi@dtesnhouse.ca

The Community Drop-in (CDI) is the most attended of our programs. This program hosts a variety of activities - Blender Nutrition, weekly Community Kitchens, Right to Food initiatives, and the Kitchen Table Stories Program.

During the Community Drop-in, our neighbours have the opportunity to mingle with other local residents and gain some respite from the charity model that permeates the DTES. Our neighbours can participate in the cooking process, either on Tuesday nights, regular volunteering in the Community Drop-in or through participation in any of the Community Kitchens.

One of the key goals of the Community Drop-in is to simply animate a space that our neighbours recognize as being very much their own – it is a space that belongs to the community. As the Neighbourhood House was created by local residents, we are keenly aware of the ways in which our neighbours feel most welcome in a way that “charitable” spaces often cannot. We avoid and are critical of food line-ups. Food is made available and prepared freshly over the hours during which the Community Drop-in is open.

The food that is prepared is based on our food philosophy: it is diverse and has the ingredients listed for all to see. We avoid foods that are overly processed or high in starch, refined sugars, or sodium.

Family Drop-in

☆ Tuesday and Thursday 3:30 pm – 6:30 pm

Email: fdi@dtesnhouse.ca

The Family Drop In Program (FDI) works to serve the needs of all families residing in the Downtown Eastside and the surrounding Strathcona and Oppenheimer area. Parents who are picking up their children from Strathcona Elementary, or leaving programming from YWCA’s Crabtree Corner, are welcomed into the Neighbourhood House at 3:30pm. All parents/ caregivers and children are welcome.

One of the key aims of Family Drop In is to improve the determinants of health for families and children in our community. We do this through a program emphasis on food literacy, healthy meal preparation, culinary exploration, and urban farming practices. This program works to mitigate the effects of material poverty now, by providing access to healthy food, but also in the long term as participants acquire the skills and knowledge of healthy food preparation. The Neighbourhood House space offers opportunities for children and caregivers to explore arts, crafts, activities, and games with skilled and caring staff and volunteers. In the warm spring and summer months, families have the chance to take trips to our community garden to help plant, grow, and harvest vegetables to use in Neighbourhood House programs.

Family Drop In strives to create a welcoming environment and respectful culture, in which there is no competition or strife between families of differing ancestries. Parents who enter our doors may be materially and nutritionally vulnerable and live with a multiplicity of other physical/ mental health complexities. As well, children who access Family Drop In may be equally as challenged by the same barriers as their adult counterparts.

Family Drop In reminds all of our neighbours, that the world is their oyster and their deservedness inherent. The demands and strains of family life can often lead to isolation, and the Neighbourhood House looks to address that by providing a safe place to connect with other parents, children, youth, and helpful staff.

Early Years Drop In

☆ Fridays 9:00 am to 11:00 am

Email:  fdi@dtesnhouse.ca

The Early Years Drop In (EYDI) program provides a space for caregivers and their young children, to eat breakfast, participate in activities, workshops, and seminars together. The program begins right after the school bell rings at Lord Strathcona Elementary, and families can leisurely walk over to the Neighbourhood House from there.

EYDI is a place for parents to come together and learn from one another. It is a peer facilitated talking space, where open conversation is encouraged to be supportive of one another. Topics covered include: parents mental health, appropriate screen time for toddlers and children, baby’s sleep schedule, how to deal with bad behaviour, and the importance of literacy for toddlers. Conversation will commence after a healthy breakfast has been eaten.