BURST
A City of Vancouver-funded street cleaning program collected 26,700 used needles from the Downtown Eastside in the first 11 months of 2025, according to a city report .
The same program collected 46,400 needles in 2024 and 32,800 in the last 10 months of 2023.
The report to council from the general manager of engineering services recommends the city continue its contract with the Mission Possible Compassionate Ministries Society at a cost of just under $3 million over the next three years.
Mission Possible was hired in early 2023 during the Hastings Street encampment to offer low-barrier jobs to DTES residents to clean the street, power-wash and provide outreach services to camp occupants.
The contract was extended to cover 2024 and 2025.
The city report states that program workers gathered 17,400 bags of litter in the first 11 months of 2025, as well as the needles, and pressure-washed 240 blocks. More than a thousand people were referred to services and there were 60 incidents of de-escalations.
“The proposed grant for 2026 — 2028 will maintain these services, with flexibility to adjust based on emerging needs identified by staff,” the report states.
The Hastings Street encampment began in the summer of 2022 and ended in early April 2023 when city workers backed by police removed the tents and gathered personal belongings for collection in large plastic bins.
The Mission Possible Compassionate Ministries Society formed in 1992 and according to the latest financial statements had annual revenues of $2.9 million. The non-profit society has 10 full-time staff and 26 part-time staff.