Living In Community – Understanding perspectives on the sex industry

UNDERSTANDING PERSPECTIVES on the sex industry

Living in Community (LIC) is a provincial non-profit organization, based in Vancouver, that is working to change the conversations we have about sex work.

LIC brings together diverse stakeholders to collaboratively improve the health and safety of sex workers and address community concerns as they arise.

We focus on getting at root causes of issues like stigma, poverty, and gender-based violence that create systemic vulnerability for sex workers, and we seek to build understanding and common ground with other community members.

ABOUT US

Our Story

Back in 2003, violence against sex workers in Vancouver was unacceptably high. Sixty-seven sex workers had gone missing and/or had been murdered in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.

Our Model

At the heart of the Living in Community model is the bringing together of different groups who are impacted by or have an impact on sex work...

Training and Education

Living in Community offers a variety of workshops to increase knowledge about sex work with a view to improving services and supports for sex workers...

Learn more about the BC Bad Date and Aggressor Reporting (BC BDAR) Project

Have questions about the BC BDAR Project? Learn more in our FAQ document, put together from the five Working Group organizations guiding this project: PACE Society, Peers Victoria, SWAN Vancouver, WISH Drop-In Centre Society, and Living in Community.

Read the FAQs here.

Living in Community ends formal partnership with Vancouver Police Department

After sixteen years of attempts to build a positive working relationship with the Vancouver Police Department (VPD), Living in Community’s Steering Committee has decided to remove the VPD as a Steering Committee member.

Living in Community supports sex workers and sex work organizations engaging or disengaging with the VPD in the various ways they may choose to. LIC will continue to bring together diverse stakeholders to build relationships and address community concerns around safety and health, centering the needs and experiences of sex workers.

Read our full statement here.

Living in Community: Balancing Perspectives on Vancouver's Sex Industry, is a video that documents how LIC started. We began as a unique community development initiative that was started in 2004 by a group of community organizations, sex workers, police, government and business, to make communities healthier and safer in relation to the impacts of sex work and sexual exploitation. Looking back to how the project began, the video explores this innovative model and how it has made an impact on communities in Vancouver and beyond.

The LIC model has evolved over time, and we are working on a new video that better reflects our current approach to our work. Stay tuned for this update coming soon.

Stay informed! Join our mailing list.

We promise we will never SPAM you with unwanted emails. We respect your privacy and will never share your email address with any person or organization.

Check out our latest newsletter.

Learn about programming updates, upcoming events, and training opportunities with Living in Community.