WISH, a social services organization in the Downtown Eastside, supports cis and trans women, and non-binary people, who earn their primary or secondary income as street-based sex workers. Eighty per cent of the community they serve is homeless or precariously housed, with many having disabilities. 

As Executive Director Mebrat Beyene explains, the sex work community faced the severe consequences of COVID-19 before the mainstream population did. 

That’s where WISH stepped in. With the support of BC Housing and the City of Vancouver, WISH has created an emergency, temporary shelter of 23 beds in the building next to their drop-in. The shelter is the first of its kind in Canada, offering 24/7 access, laundry, showers, and meals. Attendees are able to stay up to weeks at a time, depending on their circumstance—a feat Beyene describes as essential while individuals work with BC Housing for more permanent solutions. 

“Sex workers were the first to see a sudden and complete loss of income—that really can’t be underscored in a trade that’s already stigmatized and criminalized and now can’t be relied upon as a source of income,” Beyene states.

“This is also a population many of whom were either completely or partly ineligible for CERB. Applying for government assistance meant putting themselves on the radar as having earned income from sex work, which many are unwilling or unable to do.”

However, the challenges for Vancouver’s sex work community have extended far beyond finding clientele. From access to basic sanitation to closures of public services such as community centres, COVID-19 restrictions rose up quickly without fast and reliable alternatives. 

Even precariously housed sex workers who are able to find clients are having to turn away potential income. Supportive housing facilities and single room occupancies (SROs) have had to enact changes, such as guest restrictions—necessary to stop the virus’ spread, but highly consequential. 

“It’s been really wonderful to see how everybody is not just taking the news, but celebrating it alongside us,” Beyene exclaims. 

“The negative comments are hugely overshadowed by the large amount of congratulations coming from sex workers across the city, as well as from sex work support organizations around Canada, and from our fellow service providers in the Downtown Eastside.”

The new shelter, set to open at the end of October, features 10 pods of two beds each. The beds will be placed at the opposite ends of every pod, with three isolation spaces available for women who present with COVID-19 symptoms or a positive test. 

While the shelter was assembled quickly due to COVID-19, Beyene explains that an emergency shelter such as this has been a dream of WISH for quite some time. 

“Overwhelmingly we just have a feeling right now that [our offerings] cannot go back to normal. Our goal is to continue to deliver the services we have been able to introduce over the last six months.”

The space gives street-based sex workers a clean place to rest, find additional support services, and escape violence. As all women-focused organizations have reported, violence against women has increased during the pandemic—a sentiment that WISH has heard on the frontlines. 

“We certainly saw an increase in targeted predatory behavior towards sex workers,” Beyene says. “Violence against women and violence against sex workers always go hand-in-hand.”

The shelter has not only opened up support for homeless and precariously housed sex workers, but also an employment opportunity for those in the WISH Supportive Employment Program—a skill and experience service for sex workers seeking mainstream employment, who may be hindered by criminal records, homelessness, or a lack of job experience. 

In addition to the new emergency shelter, WISH has also introduced a Peer Witnessing Program in which mature, thriving sex workers mentor and observe others who use drugs at the drop-in. 

“Our new Peer Witnessing Program means that they aren’t using alone or behind a dumpster. They are on property where we have Narcan kits and all of our staff are trained in reversing overdoses,” Beyene adds. “This has allowed us to create a safe space for users.”

Across the board, WISH is creating a template for sex worker support that can be replicated across the country. 

As Beyene concludes, “COVID accelerated the need, but we were already raising the flag about the critical issues that we’re seeing in the Downtown Eastside. It’s difficult to sustain a high level of awareness when it’s band-aid solution after band-aid solution. We need continued urgency.”

To support WISH’s new temporary, emergency shelter, visit their donation page to find a wish list of their current needs.