Hockey Helps the Homeless: Bringing Support to Our Community

Sonaiya Wilson • March 20, 2026

The Together We Can Street Reach Project is a staff and volunteer-led initiative dedicated to supporting individuals experiencing homelessness in Vancouver and surrounding areas. Our team assembles care packages filled with essential items, along with resource booklets listing shelters, treatment centres, and other vital services. During our outings, we walk along the Downtown Eastside, handing out 100–200 care packages at a time.


In Canada, nearly three-quarters of people experiencing homelessness are also facing mental health and/or substance use challenges, highlighting the urgent need for accessible, compassionate support in the community.



We’ve also extended our reach to the Whalley District in Surrey, partnering with our friends at Back On Track Recovery to ensure more people have access to the support they need.

Last year, we hosted a special event at Oppenheimer Park, inviting other organizations to provide resources and information to the community. Together, we handed out pizza, care packages, and shared the work of Together We Can with those we met.


With homelessness on the rise across British Columbia — impacting tens of thousands of individuals province-wide — initiatives like Street Reach play a vital role in meeting people where they’re at and connecting them to life-changing resources.


Hockey Helps The Homeless — Vancouver has been pivotal in empowering us to distribute over 4,000 care packages across Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside and Surrey since 2022. Their annual support has also enabled us to help unhoused individuals access treatment and recovery services, rebuild their lives, and reconnect with their families.



We are also deeply grateful to our partners — DTES Emergency Supply Hub, VanCity OPS, Back On Track Recovery, Revolution Recovery, and Interventions on Demand (Linda Lane Devlin) — for their invaluable support of this project. The encouragement and kind words we receive while out in the community remind us of how meaningful this work is — and how much more we can accomplish with continued support.


Your donation helps us keep these vital programs running, reach more people in need, and make a lasting impact in the lives of those experiencing homelessness.


To join our Street Reach team, contact us at communityrelations@twcrecoverylife.org


< Older Post

Thelma’s Place: A New Women’s Sober Living Home in Vancouver

By Sonaiya Wilson • March 19, 2026
Together We Can Addiction Recovery & Education Society and Charlford House are proud to announce the opening of Thelma’s Place , a 14-bed women’s sober living residence in Vancouver designed to support women as they continue their recovery journey.

The Sober Middle: When "Better" Doesn't Feel Like Enough

By David Penny • March 19, 2026
Recovery circles often talk about the “pink cloud” — that early phase of sobriety where everything feels new, bright, and full of promise. Or, we talk about the rock bottom. We see the dramatic before-and-after photos, the “day one” versus “year ten.”
A person is holding a string of lights in their hands.

The Ghosts of Christmas Past: Personal Reflections on Addiction and Recovery During the Holidays

By David R Penny • December 19, 2024
The holidays. A time for family, friends, and festive cheer. But for those of us in recovery, the holidays can also be a time when the ghosts of Christmas past come back to haunt us. Memories of holidays spent in the throes of addiction, of strained relationships, and of missed opportunities can surface, casting a shadow over the present.