Caring for Community & Culture

Our Vision

The Vancouver Chinatown Foundation is a registered charity committed to the revitalization of Chinatown, one of Canada’s most iconic neighbourhoods in the historic heart of Vancouver. The Foundation is dedicated to building a more resilient and inclusive community by promoting the well-being of those in need, while preserving Chinatown’s irreplaceable cultural heritage. As a community builder, the Vancouver Chinatown Foundation mobilizes resources and acts as a catalyst by bringing together thoughtful minds with on-the-ground insight – people who care about our community – to help solve some of our city’s biggest challenges.

Our Work

Our strategy to revitalize this important neighbourhood is based on three pillars: physical revitalization, economic revitalization, and cultural revitalization. Our community projects focus on creating a lasting positive impact such as affordable housing, seniors housing, cultural understanding, and economic development.

 

three chinese seniors around a table playing Mahjong. The women in the middle has black hair done in a 50s like manner and is wearing Pantos shaped sunglasses, a pink sweater and pink ascot. She has her hands out on the table to grab a tile.

May Wah Hotel

A historic single room occupancy (SRO) hotel in Chinatown built in 1913 to provide affordable housing for low-income labourers. Today the May Wah is a safe home that houses low income residents and seniors.

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58 West Hastings

When completed, 58 West Hastings will be a 10-storey building with 230 social and affordable housing units. Located in the Downtown Eastside, this project will provide a safe place to live with access to an integrated health care facility that will also serve the wider community.

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A 3D rendering of a large condo building. There are trees on the side walk and the sky is blue.
A black and white picture of an older man sitting and a child standing beside him. The man seems to be doing some type of work and has his hand on the desk and is looking at the camera smiling. The child has her hand on the mans legs and looks like she is mid-walk but is looking at the camera

Chinatown Storytelling Centre

A purpose-built cultural space that shares the stories of the arduous path from Chinese immigrant to Canadian citizen told through the lens of Vancouver’s Chinatown. This Centre will give voice to those who contributed to the city and the nation and explores the themes of immigration, social justice, inclusivity, and our shared intercultural history.

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Chinatown Vintage

A community thrift shop that is a treasure trove of gently used women’s clothing and accessories where 100% of proceeds support the revitalization of Chinatown.

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Inside of Chinatown Vintage. There is a table with jewellery on the left and clothing racks on the right. There is also a dresser on the left side with a chinese lion dancer mask on it.
A young woman helping an older woman try on a scarf. The younger woman is on the right side of the photograph and is wearing a Vancouver Chinatown Foundation volunteer t-shirt, glasses, and a long sleeve shirt. The older woman is on the left and is wearing glasses and a large puffy jacket. The volunteer is helping her put on an orange scarf

Volunteer

Our community work would be impossible without the talent, time, and generosity of our volunteer community. If you’d like to get involved and connect with others to help revitalize Chinatown then we’d love to meet you.

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