Thank you to the Cowichan Community Action Team for helping keep this site up.
A practical map of organizations helping people with food, shelter, health, housing, safety, recovery, youth support, Indigenous services, legal help, and basic needs.
If you are not sure where to start, call 2-1-1, check Duncan Survival Hub, or contact a local outreach worker. Many services can help you find the right next step even if they are not the exact program you need.
44 listings shown
Hampers, hot meals, snacks, and drop-in food support.
Grocery hampers, meals, snacks, and warm drop-in support.
Verify before relying on hours or availability.
Emergency food hampers, street packs, vouchers, and community support.
Verify before relying on hours or availability.
Community meals, thrift support, and connection to local help.
Verify before relying on hours or availability.
Community support, clothing and furniture help, and practical 'Needs & Extras' support.
Verify before relying on hours or availability.
Meal delivery, especially for seniors or people with mobility barriers.
Verify before relying on hours or availability.
Youth meals and community connection.
Verify before relying on hours or availability.
Emergency shelter, transitional and supportive housing pathways.
Adult emergency shelter, low-barrier support, and connection to housing resources.
Verify before relying on hours or availability.
Transitional housing toward stable, longer-term housing.
Verify before relying on hours or availability.
Emergency youth shelter and 24/7 youth safety support.
Verify before relying on hours or availability.
Women's safety, counselling, advocacy, shelter connection, and violence support.
Verify before relying on hours or availability.
Emergency shelter for women and children fleeing violence.
Verify before relying on hours or availability.
Low-barrier women's shelter and safety support.
Verify before relying on hours or availability.
Indigenous-focused outreach, housing support, advocacy, referrals, breakfast, shower/laundry, and cultural and family supports.
Verify before relying on hours or availability.
Subsidized and supportive housing pathways.
Verify before relying on hours or availability.
Indigenous housing and affordable housing.
Verify before relying on hours or availability.
Affordable and supportive housing.
Verify before relying on hours or availability.
Mental health, substance use, harm reduction, and recovery supports.
Mental health support, adult outreach, counselling, youth services, housing/shelter programs, sobering and assessment supports.
Verify before relying on hours or availability.
Mobile outreach with snacks, hygiene kits, clothing, referrals, and connection to supports for people homeless, living in vehicles, camping, couch surfing, or precariously housed.
Verify before relying on hours or availability.
Primary care, addiction medicine, mental health and substance use support, wound care, OAT, TiOAT, managed alcohol, harm reduction, and referrals.
Verify before relying on hours or availability.
Supervised consumption, overdose response, harm reduction supplies, naloxone, and health referrals.
Verify before relying on hours or availability.
Trauma counselling, women's safety, advocacy, and support after violence.
Verify before relying on hours or availability.
Indigenous-led health, housing, youth, cultural, and advocacy services.
Indigenous outreach, homelessness support, advocacy, referrals, breakfast, shower/laundry, family support, and youth/cultural programming.
Verify before relying on hours or availability.
Administration, social development pathways, member services, Elders support, and referrals.
Verify before relying on hours or availability.
Public health, chronic disease support, health education, foot care, Good Food Box, and traditional and non-traditional healing support.
Verify before relying on hours or availability.
Youth drop-in, safe space, activities, and cultural programs.
Verify before relying on hours or availability.
Indigenous housing and affordable housing.
Verify before relying on hours or availability.
Family law, child protection, housing law, wills and estates, court accompaniment, legal process explanation, and referrals.
Verify before relying on hours or availability.
Safety, counselling, advocacy, and shelter for women and children.
Women's safety, counselling, advocacy, shelter connection, and violence support.
Verify before relying on hours or availability.
Emergency shelter for women and children fleeing violence.
Verify before relying on hours or availability.
Low-barrier women's shelter and safety support.
Verify before relying on hours or availability.
Drop-in, counselling, safe shelter, and activities for youth.
Youth drop-in, counselling, diversion, activities, and mental health connection.
Verify before relying on hours or availability.
Emergency youth shelter and safety support.
Verify before relying on hours or availability.
Youth drop-in, cultural programs, and safe activities.
Verify before relying on hours or availability.
Family and youth support.
Verify before relying on hours or availability.
Legal help, housing advocacy, and system navigation.
Low-income and Indigenous legal support, family law, child protection, housing issues, wills and estates, court help, and referrals.
Verify before relying on hours or availability.
Housing information, housing advocacy, community housing resources, and system navigation.
Verify before relying on hours or availability.
Finding food, shelter, crisis, housing, health, legal, and community support across BC.
Verify before relying on hours or availability.
Clothing, showers, laundry, and basic-needs support.
Thrift clothing and household items.
Verify before relying on hours or availability.
Thrift clothing, goods, and community connection.
Verify before relying on hours or availability.
Clothing and furniture support and practical needs.
Verify before relying on hours or availability.
Shower/laundry access, breakfast, Indigenous outreach, advocacy, and referrals.
Verify before relying on hours or availability.
Hygiene kits, snacks, clothing, and outreach support for people outside or precariously housed.
Verify before relying on hours or availability.
Settlement, employment, language, and newcomer navigation.
Settlement support, immigrant and refugee support, employment help, English classes, childcare support, and newcomer navigation.
Verify before relying on hours or availability.
Volunteer coordination and community capacity building.
Volunteer coordination, Better at Home seniors support, youth volunteer training, and community capacity.
Verify before relying on hours or availability.
Cowichan has many strong organizations, but some needs are still hard to meet. These gaps matter because people often fall through them.
Limited emergency shelter options for couples, parents, and families.
Youth aging out of services may have fewer clear pathways.
Cobble Hill, Chemainus, Lake Cowichan, Ladysmith, and remote areas may have fewer walk-in services.
Many services close in the evening or on weekends.
Waitlists or limited programs may exist.
Access can be limited and may require referral or travel.
People without housing may struggle to safely store documents, medication, clothing, and gear.
Person needs help
Duncan Survival Hub / 2-1-1 / outreach worker
Food · shelter · health · housing · Indigenous support · women's safety · youth · legal aid
Follow-up plan
A person can call 2-1-1, visit Duncan Survival Hub, or talk to an outreach worker.
Food programs may be walk-in or require ID / an advance call.
Shelters depend on bed availability.
Transitional and subsidized housing usually require applications, referrals, or the BC Housing registry.
Health and recovery services may accept walk-ins for some programs, but appointments or referrals may be needed.
Women's safety services may be confidential.
Indigenous services may have eligibility rules depending on Nation, status, or program funding.
Youth services often have age ranges.