Downtown Eastside, Vancouver

It's good to go to these places to experience what they're like. You can't close your eyes to the east side of Vancouver because it would leave you ignorant and inexperienced in your knowledge about the city. Don't look for altercation and you won't find it. In my opinion it's a must see when visiting this beautiful city.

Hello my friends & Travelers"
This wounderful world we live in,we have a place called ",The best place on earth" Vancouver bc. Beautiful wounderful green and amazing.I have to say its true.Then again we have are ups and downs like any other country mabe a little newer too the crazzie stuff we have been brought to except.With all the multiy cultrul peps. Are amazing young lands is now becomin old as the rest of every other country.,drugs ,hunger ,hate.Soo anyway hastings isn t a bad place ,just a place the ones who have been beaten down, down like hard. We as a commumity should be more ashamed as to not pull together,As I have a homeless uncle who does not collect welfare or any support from any hand outs.He is fine yet he let the society go and also family. As whn he was child they hung him upside down in a toitet out house, I mean for many hours ,many days, many years, and yet he dont care yet he aint a user.He was not a bad person, but was showed that he never ment notnin. From young never will no better so how or any judge. East hastings may be a bad place true ..But for the forgotten ones its a home .They are comfortable the peps make it welcome ,and when I find my uncle again >I hope too so ,
I can hugg and tell him I love him ..as he is just as werthy as me xox jenn

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Of course if you have heard about the downtown eastside, its probably the best place to stay away from unless you are either a practicing drug addict in need of a fix, or someone who really wants to help, if you are neither of the above, stay away. i used to live here and they can smell a tourist coming down the block. Dont think that everyone down there is souly interested in doing drugs, remember these people need money for drugs and you can and probably will be targeted if you are stupid enough to venture down to "see the sights" all the sights to see down there are just as easily accessed in the latest episode of "Intervention".
On the other hand, thanks to our wonderful government, they closed down a huge mental hospital and then subsidized all the patients to live there, and yes, thats exactly what walking down the street feels like. Even the cops fail to bother doing anything unless there are cameras around.
To the person who lives there and wants to kill them all, with that attitude, you better start packing now, you are the type of person whom they justify their actions upon. Its a sick attitude to have dude. I was brought down there to be used and sold by my own canadian father, and i was surprised by the feeling of community there really is there, you dont have to be addicted to be part of it, just dont treat them like freaks, and be smart when you are there.
***Tourists****
DO NOT
go to east hastings to sight see, you will be robbed if not conned...
point and stare at the addicts, a person who has just shot crack may look really f*&ed up, but believe you me, they can and will tear you to pieces
DO
come to vancouver, dont let one area stop you from enjoying all that the city has to offer
not everyone is addicted to drugs or a gangster

hi i lived there most my life , and it was a great place to live , its not as bad as people say it is , its sad to see the system treat them like that , as i was one of them and hooked on drugs , and i have been away know for 4 years, and i do miss the coast

I've been reading some of the entries here on this website as I'm preparing a speech on this topic.

Vancouver is the most expensive city in Canada to live in and yes, the cost of living is high especially since the government drags it's feet to increase the minimum wage.

But in all the times that I've walked down the streets of the Downtown Eastside, I've never felt that I've ever been in danger. The people there are in trouble.

I'm not going to blame "the system" or any other reason for the homless being there. They're there, it is what it is.

There are drug addicts, mentally ill people, physically ill, abused, emotionally disturbed, the list goes on and many of them don't want to live there. But for most, it's the only place they can find for themselves because our system doesn't give them an opportunity to get out.

There are only two men who I know that broke free from the drug-addicted life style and went on to become stellar citizens and men of integrity. Billy Weselewski and Joe Roberts.

I'm ashamed of Ditsy Clark and her Liberal government and how they continue to ignore these people. They're somebodys children!

hey, i am a 18 year old that grew up in the DTES area, im from East hastings, my appartment building was the dirtiest and worst building on the street, it is not as dangerous as people may say, the people down there are not out to get you, if you notice, they are treated worse than they treat you, they are human beings aswell, but they just have money issues or crazy addictions, when i lived there it was a very scary place for a kid but i never got hurt once, actually, when i was 7 i was walking with my mom up a flight of stairs, i slipped backwards and before i hit the ground a homeless person cought me and picked me up and carried me to my mom, they are nice people. most of them have families to that they need to support, yes it is scarry out there but unless your out there trying to prevoke people, you should be safe. i can honestly say, i miss living there and i would move back if i could. here homeless, not gangsters. although there is some dangerous people there but y would they choose you.

hey, i am a 18 year old that grew up in the DTES area, im from East hastings, my appartment building was the dirtiest and worst building on the street, it is not as dangerous as people may say, the people down there are not out to get you, if you notice, they are treated worse than they treat you, they are human beings aswell, but they just have money issues or crazy addictions, when i lived there it was a very scary place for a kid but i never got hurt once, actually, when i was 7 i was walking with my mom up a flight of stairs, i slipped backwards and before i hit the ground a homeless person cought me and picked me up and carried me to my mom, they are nice people. most of them have families to that they need to support, yes it is scarry out there but unless your out there trying to prevoke people, you should be safe. i can honestly say, i miss living there and i would move back if i could. here homeless, not gangsters. although there is some dangerous people there but y would they choose you.

Just returned from Vancouver, including a couple of stops in the E. Hasting & Main area... actually bought my daughter a nice backpack at the store just south of the intersection, so in other words, if you go about your business like 99 percent of the people you'll have no problem.

i laughed at the Aussie couple's review where they mentioned the neighbourhood was worse than any other city in which they'd traveled (i'm guessing they're trip to NYC didn't include the south Bronx?). as for Blood Alley (so named because the old butcher shops used to take their deliveries from the alleyway), they missed Salt, one of Van's best restaurants!

This is a great place to see. My mother used to take me here all the time and I've always been safe. It's a very interesting place to see, not very common in all of the world. The people here are mostly down and out and struggling with addiction issues, so I wouldn't say it is a highly dangerous area.

I shop here at least once a week for groceries at Sunrise Market (powell/gore.. great prices) and you know what? The people here are amongst the friendliest. They actually speak to you, engage you, it's all very real and no fakery.

You are safe here alone during the day (I am a woman and do it all the time) but at night you should be with at least one other person and avoid any alleys.

DTES in Vancouver also known as the poorest postal code in Canada is not as bad
as you think. Yes there are several poor people who are abusing substances BUT
there are resources in place to help them if they choose. I was in downtown
Vancouver yesterday morning and it was busy in front of and inside the Insite
office. These folks are not dangerous per say. It is better to just hangout in
the Chinatown area instead. I think that the government, police, community
groups and Vancouver Coastal Health need to have more meetings together.