Pace Society Annual Report

Our Teams

Board of Directors

Board of Directors:

☂ Ellen Wiebe

☂ Scarlett Lake

☂ Joyce Arthur

☂ Margaret Haugen

☂ Sarah Leamon

☂ Emely Baker

☂ Zoe Arghandewal

Board Goodbyes:

☂ Carrie Hill

☂ Hailey Heartless

☂ Olive Bing

Thank You to our Volunteers

In 2019, we had the support of over 50 amazing humans who lent us their time, skills, and services and helped manage our drop in space, ensuring a safe place for our members to rest, access services, and build community.

About Us

Mission

PACE is a peer-driven society that seeks to reduce the harm and isolation associated with Sex Work through education, support, and advocacy. We work to increase the health, safety, and empowerment of our members by respect- ing their right to self-determination and supporting their self-identified needs. With the help and expertise of our members, PACE seeks to find solutions to address the growing needs of marginalized peoples in our communities.

Vision

We envision a future where all sex workers are free from the risk of violence, discrimination, social stigmas, and harms so they may enjoy the same rights as all other individuals including the rights to life, liberty, security of the per- son, and equal protection under the law. We hope for long-term commitments to social change within all levels of government and individuals to eradicate systemic issues that create disproportionate levels of poverty, homelessness, health concerns, and substance use within the Sex Work community, so that individuals can make safe, healthy, and informed decisions in their lives.

Core Values

☂ Anti-Oppression

☂ Anti-Colonialism

☂ Sex Work Positivity

☂ Trauma-Informed Practice

☂ Harm Reduction

☂ Experiential Knowledge

Land Acknowledgement

We acknowledge that the work of PACE Society takes place on the stolen lands of the Coast Salish Peoples, specifically the shared territories of the Squamish, Tsleil-Wau-tuth, and Musqueam First Nations.

We acknowledge our responsibility to work in solidarity with the Indigenous peoples who have lived on and protected these lands since long before colonization. We understand that due to colonial violence, Indigenous sex workers are disproportionately affected by the harms and isolation that stem from the stigmatization and criminalization of sex work. Therefore, as an essential part of our work, we commit to centering Indigenous perspectives as well as actively working towards decolonization and Indigenous sovereignty.

Programs

Peer Support

Our support workers provide non-judgmental and confidential emotional support, individualized goal and safety planning, debriefing, accompaniments, and advocacy for current and former sex workers based on their self-identified needs.

In 2019, we provided the most support around: health, financial needs, safety, employment transitioning, grief and loss, trauma, violence and sexual assault, and mental health.

“I have appreciated the time and support from PACE. I feel more confident and I have hope I can improve my life conditions and have someone safe and open and keep moving forward in life in a safe way. You guys have been my angels whom check on me every week to keep me going, you guys help me to believe. No matter what support you do, your acceptance is key.”

- Anon, member

“It’s becoming one of my lifetimes greatest honors being a part of the beautiful community at PACE. Scared and alone, I made my first call to PACE. I received immediate help. The emotional support and resources has lifted me from a dark place. I continue to be astounded by the genuine caring and response time by staff and volunteers. My gratitude has lit my path to give back and help others, thank you PACE.”

- Anon, member

“PACE Society is somewhere I am respected, somewhere my body gets to rest. Anywhere else, I am told to move along.”

- Anon, member

Drop In Services

In 2019, we had over 2000 visits to our drop-in space, where our members (current and former sex workers of all genders) were able to meet and connect over coffee, work on the computer, rest and watch a movie, pick up donations of clothing and beauty products, access community safety information, and grab safer sex and drug use supplies.

Counselling

In 2019, our counsellor, Lindsay Chronister, continued to provide counselling for sex workers from a collaborative, trauma-informed, sex positive, and rights-based approach. Thanks to funding from the Province of BC and the support of the Community Action Initiative, we were able to expand our counselling services into a full-time program this year and provide more free counselling services to those that face the most barriers to accessing mental health support.

Gender Self-Determination Project

Our Gender Self-determination project provides support and financial assistance for anyone who identifies as trans, non-binary, two-spirit, or otherwise gender diverse with changing their name and/or gender marker on government-issued ID. We meet with folks to walk them through the complicated process, organize paperwork for applications, accompany them to relevant appointments, apply for fee waivers, and cover any associated fees. This year we assisted over 90 people with their legal name and gender marker changes!

For the second year in a row, we partnered with our friends at Peers Victoria to host an ID clinic in Victoria, where we supported folks living on Vancouver Island with name and/or gender marker changes!

This year, we expanded our reach in Vancouver through a partnership with Pro Bono Students Canada UBC. Thank you so much to our incredible law student Kimi Cheong and practicum student Zoe Syberg for their support in developing and running a weekly clinic for assisting our members with legal name and gender marker changes.

Occupational Health and Safety

We recognize that current laws that criminalize sex work increase harm toward sex workers, including but not limited to discrimination, stigma, violence, harassment and abuse, police brutality, and barriers to accessing health care and justice. We work to increase the health and safety of our members by providing collaborative educational workshops to address the impacts of structural violence and systemic oppression.

One of our longest standing programs, Occupational Health and Safety, decreases situational violence and reduces harm by: providing sex workers with effective tools to consistently practice safety in Sex Work; promoting the health and wellbeing of sex workers; building a safe and inclusive community of peers; and drawing on this community’s strengths and expertise to keep sex workers safe. Through each peer-led, trauma-informed closed group series, sex workers engage with topics that include prevention, de-escalation, disengagement, physical self-protection, boundaries, holistic health, risk reduction, stigma, structural violence, and more.

We also work to improve the health and safety of sex workers by providing public education to allied organizations and public services in order to reduce stigma and resulting violence and structural barriers faced by sex workers. In 2019, we provided training to over 10 groups and organizations.

Groups

Indigenous Sharing Circle

The Indigenous Sharing Circle is an open peer-led group for all members that self-identify as Indigenous, Métis, Inuit, and/or First Nations. The Sharing Circle provides a connection to culture in a respectful, non-judgmental environment. With the assistance and guidance of our Elders, we can gain a better understanding of these teachings and ways of living across our Nations. We listen to the stories from our knowledge keepers, learn to respect the use of medicines, and work on applying these teachings to our own way of living. We share stories, support each other’s struggles, and celebrate each other’s successes over lovingly prepared and shared meals.

Please note that sadly we had to put the Sharing Circle on hold when we didn’t receive funding in April 2019. We pushed for funding and managed to get the group up and running again by the end of the year.

Wise Women

We are a vibrant group with a vast array of life experiences building communi- ty together. Throughout 2019, we continued to learn, share, support and grow together. We believe that knowledge empowers us and educated ourselves on a variety of topics that support our health, safety, and wellbeing.

Every Wednesday, the Wise Women group met at PACE to learn together over a light and nutritious meal.

Trans Supper Club

PACE’s Trans Supper Club is a peer-led weekly meal program and dropin service for transgender, two spirit, non-binary, and gender diverse folks who have worked in Sex Work in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside (DTES). It is one of our busiest programs, with an overall average of 9 participants attending the dinner each week and 49 individuals accessing the program over the year. One of our regular attendees wanted to share her experience at the dinner: “I’m so grateful for the open hearts and support I get from the people in group. They really understand.”

Groups

Peer Health Navigation

Every Wednesday throughout 2019, our peer health navigators provided outreach and support for our members who were hospitalized. They brought resources, slippers and pajamas, laughs, and listening ears to help get you through your hospital stay and on the road to recovery.

We also accompanied members to doctor appointments, managed appointment schedules, and supported members to meet their self-identified health-related goals. This year, we were able to expand our Peer Health Navigation services and provide more wraparound support for our members in order to address various social determinants of health, including access to safer housing and employment support. In 2019, over 600 connections were made through our Peer Health Navigation program.

Junebug’s Outreach Mentorship Program

Named after our beloved Junebug, whose compassion and generosity will forever guide our work, our mentorship program provides members with intensive one-to-one education sessions and on-the-job training for outreach work in the community. Our outreach workers provide outreach services in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside neighbourhood as well as nearby areas. They meet with our members in outdoor Sex Work settings to provide point-of-contact support, safety information, and referrals and to distribute safer sex and drug use harm reduction supplies.

Legal Clinic

In partnership with UBC’s LSLAP, our Sex Worker’s Legal Clinic provides legal information, advice, and representation for sex workers that cannot afford a lawyer. A huge thank you to the UBC Law Students for Decriminalization and Harm Reduction for your continued support and work alongside PACE advocating for the rights of our members and increased access to legal support.

Year Highlights

January

In partnership with a public health nurse from VCH, we hosted Stigma-Free STI testing clinics at PACE. Thank you so much Kassie Junek for helping making stigma-free health care services more accessible for sex workers!

February

We celebrated our late Junebug’s birthday with a Beauty Day for our members. Thanks to Zed and Leah for the haircuts in honour of June! We also hosted a series of social gatherings for sex workers to help combat the cold of winter, called “Fuck February.”

March

We hosted a series of drop-in trauma-informed yoga classes for sex workers of all bodies and abilities led by our amazing volunteer, Lorence!

We attended ConvergeCon, a local conference building sex positive communities and fostering activism, and were selected as the recipient of the conference’s raffle donations!

We began some long-term anti-racism work with our team and invited Cicely Blain in to consult with us on this process and to provide training to our board and staff.

May

In partnership with Davidson Fraes Law, we hosted a Family Law clinic for our members to increase access to legal support with family law issues. Thank you so much for lending us your time and expertise, Brett Carlson!

We partnered and participated in the LIC-hosted provincial conference “A Safer Province for Everyone: Responding to Violence Against Sex Workers.”

Out of the recommendations from the “Safer Province for Everyone” conference in May, we partnered with sex worker-serving organizations across BC to form a Bad Date Reporting Working Group to support a provincial network and tool for bad date reporting for sex workers.

We worked with an amazing group of students at Red Academy, who worked closely with us to gain an intimate understanding of PACE Society and redesign a website that better reflects our organization. We hit some delays on the development of this design, but be sure to keep an eye out for the launch of PACE’s new website in 2020!

Year Highlights

August

We partnered with Peers4Wellness, an Indigenous-led community-based participatory study out of SFU, to develop and pilot a peerled program for Indigenous sex workers in the DTES who are at risk of or living with HCV and/or HIV.

October

PACE Community Educators provided training for WAVAW volunteers on working in solidarity with sex workers. In partnership with the Metro Vancouver Consortium, we hosted a Safer Housing for Sex Workers forum, in which we took a group of 13 sex workers through a series of facilitated conversations on safety, access, and stigma with a goal of gathering the feedback needed to influence housing policy and create safer housing for sex workers in Vancouver.

November

Thanks to the City of Vancouver, we made some major upgrades to our drop-in space this year! In addition to new furniture, a fresh coat of paint throughout, and air conditioning, we commissioned a gorgeous mural for our dropin space designed a sign and painted by Charlene Johnny, an interdisciplinary artist from the Quw’utsun’ Tribes.

December

We hosted our annual holiday party for our members and rang out the year in great spirits, singing and eating together long into the day. In partnership with Portia Favro and Miss Monday Blues, PACE members participated in burlesque dance workshops throughout the fall that culminated in a private showcase of their skills for December 17th, International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers.

Pace Leadership Letter

Since it was founded in 1994, PACE Society has grown from a one-bedroom apartment operation to a vibrant grassroots organization with a variety of programs to provide wraparound support and advocacy for sex workers who live and work on the unceded territories of the Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh, and Musqueam First Nations.

Despite the immense and integral changes PACE has seen since its inception, we have always centred our work around certain critical principles; PACE has always served sex workers of all genders, been driven by peers (members, staff, and directors with sex work experience), and been motivated by a harm reduction and anti-oppressive stance. We have progressed from prioritising alternatives to sex work to grounding all of our endeavours in sex work positivity while continuing to provide opportunities to move on from sex work for those members who desire alternatives.

Although we have always been inspired by anti-oppressive values, the work of dismantling the systems of oppression that lead to harm and stigma against sex workers is a continuous struggle and (un)learning process. In 2019, we reaffirmed our commitment to building and maintaining an anti-racist culture that defies the white supremacist structures that continue to inform and impact all aspects of life on Turtle Island.

This year, the staff team came together to redefine our core values to include: anti-oppression; anti-colonialism; sex work positivity; trauma-informed practice; harm reduction; and experiential knowledge. Alongside this work, the PACE team devoted significant resources and planning to increasing peer leadership within our organization, and we look forward to witnessing the undoubtedly positive growth and impacts such change will bring in the months and years to come.

In solidarity and with much love, PACE Leadership

Funders

We gratefully acknowledge the support we received from the following funders and partners, which allowed us to provide peer-driven support, advocacy, and education by, with, and for the sex worker community throughout 2019.

Thank you so much to our individual and monthly donors, whose ongoing generosity means the world to us and our members. If you or your organization would like to support our work by making a donation to PACE Society, please contact us at: info@pace-society.org or visit our Canada Helps page to set up a monthly donation!

education. support. advocacy

By, With & For Sex Workers Since 1994