Our Mission 

PearlSpace promotes equality and empowerment of women, Two Spirit, gender-diverse, non-binary, trans people, and children/youth. We work from an intersectional* feminist framework. By responding to and working for change, we honour the diversity of lives impacted by gender-based violence and help to meet the evolving needs of communities throughout the Sea to Sky Corridor and Stl’atl’imx regions. 

*Intersectionality is the interconnectedness of social categorizations such as race, class, and gender as they apply to a given individual or group, regarded as creating overlapping and interdependent systems of discrimination or disadvantage. 

Our Purpose 

On October 7, 1981, PearlSpace (formerly the Howe Sound Women’s Centre Society) was created as a grassroots organization dedicated to the prevention of gender-based violence and support for survivors impacted by violence or abuse. Since our founding, we have grown and expanded in response to the needs of the individuals and communities we serve. Today we provide emergency house programs, 24-hour response services, drop-in centres, outreach services, referrals, and advocacy. With a dedicated team of employees and volunteers, we serve the needs of people in the Sea to Sky Corridor and Stl’atl’imx regions including Skwxwú7mesh, Lilwat7úl, and Stl’atl’imx Nations and the communities of Squamish, Whistler, and Pemberton.  

PearlSpace acknowledges that we are privileged to operate our programs and services on the traditional, unceded territories of the Skwxwú7mesh, Lilwat7úl, and Stl’atl’imx Nations. As an organization we respect the history of these lands and its Nations who have nurtured and cared for this area since time immemorial. 

PearlSpace is the only service provider in the Sea to Sky Corridor and Stl’atl’imx regions working from an intersectional feminist framework to provide inclusive supportive services for individuals and communities.