“I appreciate everyone for what they do” is the 10th in the series of reports “Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside: Past and Present.” The Downtown Eastside is a neighbourhood with severe issues, amongst them, poverty, homelessness and drug overdose, all of which have intensified with the pandemic.

Last week, Emma Gregory and LJI journalist Jase Tanner walked the streets of the Downtown Eastside and interviewed a number of people.

The first person he spoke to, was Charlize. Her foster family she grew up with lives in Alberta, her daughter and grandchild live in Nova Scotia, yet she calls Vancouver home. Charlize told us about being evicted from her previous home, about being homeless for a number of months and about the challenges of now living in a single room occupancy hotel, (SRO). She has a love of writing poetry and playing music. Her Vancouver family is the people she knows from the streets of the neighbourhood. Charlize is an affable person we could all learn something from.

In the present day, the Downtown Eastside faces multiple issues all of which have been exacerbated by COVID 19. This is within a population that has been struggling for decades. Amongst these are housing, health; including overdose, mental health and the impact of the pandemic, poverty and homelessness, indigenous reconciliation and policing.

Future episodes will include representatives from various organizations: civic, provincial and grassroots, addressing the task at hand.

The work to be done is not to be underestimated yet the resilience and determination of community members, not commonly recognized, continues to grow. As well as these individuals, we will also be hearing from those who live in the community and call it home.