Providing Essential Support for Street-Based Sex Workers

Have you ever been faced with an impossible choice?

Everyone deserves the opportunity to make free, healthy and positive choices — but the people that WISH Drop-In Centre Society exists to serve are often denied that fundamental right.

Based in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, the WISH Drop-In Centre Society has grown to become the largest sex worker support organization in Canada.

Since 1984, WISH has been a refuge and an essential point of contact for street-based sex workers — working to improve their health, safety and well-being through rights, not rescue.

With your help, WISH can continue to provide this essential support.

Trust, care and respect

Many of those who walk through the doors at WISH have experienced targeted, gender-based and sexualized violence and are often dehumanized because of the work they do. They have faced significant discrimination due to systemic inequities and continue to be impacted by the criminalized nature of Canada’s laws surrounding sex work.

WISH is a non-judgmental place of compassion and trust where all participants are valued. This trust, care and respect is the foundation needed for participants to build relationships with staff and peers, and to increase their connections to the community.

"Thank you for caring about me when I couldn’t do it for myself,” said one WISH participant.

Human rights groups around the world continue to call for the decriminalization of adult consensual sex work. Until all sex workers have access to the rights they deserve, WISH will be there, actively pushing back against the forces of sexism, racism, sex work stigma and the impacts of colonization.

For street-based sex workers who need support, but who have experienced negative interactions with authorities, WISH is a safe haven.

It’s about choice

Each day and night, approximately 350 women and gender-diverse folks depend on WISH to meet their most essential needs — like a warm meal or a hot shower — and to access wrap-around supports that help create lasting change.

WISH puts their mission into action through their nightly drop-in, first-of-its-kind emergency shelter and Mobile Access Project van. Once participants come to WISH, they also have access to capacity-building programs, including one-to-one support through WISH's InReach workers.

Providing personalized support is an effective way to help navigate health, justice and financial systems that stigmatize those with lived experience as sex workers. WISH staff receive hundreds of requests for support every week, and help participants work though increasingly complicated matters.

“We just want to live our lives. We just want to raise our children, we just want to be happy, healthy, productive people,” said another WISH participant.

Your help is needed

Donors who give to WISH are standing in solidarity with sex workers. They know sex work is work, and that sex worker rights are human rights — and these donors make WISH happen.

“What matters most to me is that you continue to reach and support sex workers where they are and follow their lead in advocating for them and offering them care,” said one donor.

As pressures increase, the most vulnerable community members are the most impacted, which is why your support is needed now more than ever.

The costs of running WISH programs are exceeding available funding, and donations are needed to sustain programming. WISH is facing an immense demand for services as conditions continue to worsen.

Will you help keep their doors open?

In honour of Giving Tuesday, you can take part in a matching campaign at WISH. Thanks to an anonymous donor, all donations will be matched, doubling the impact of your gift.

Please, give generously today to support this important work. Learn more at the WISH website.