Join The Journey
Thanks to People like you…
Journey Home Community has met people on their journeys of loss, forcible displacement and survival, walking alongside to create a new story of safety, belonging and thriving.
For 20 years, Journey Home Community has been welcoming refugees home.
From our humble beginnings in 2005, Journey Home Community has been a living expression of Christ’s love, welcoming those who have been forcibly displaced and offering them safety, belonging, and hope.
2005: 4 households
2024: 125 households
But Sometimes…
There is No Welcome.
Maria had to sleep in a park.
Marria arrived in Canada, eight months pregnant, without access to resources or relationships. She spoke very little English. So desperate for a place to sleep, she spent the night in a park.
The Reyes family slept at the airport.
The Reyes family escaped the violence of war in their home country, but once they arrived in Canada, had no place to go. Desperate for shelter, the family slept at the airport for days.
Every Journey is Unique.
Sitara, her kids and her brand new baby boy would have been homeless once they left the hospital. When Sitara crossed the border, she was nine months pregnant. She entered Canada just in time to give birth to her son. But she had no place to go upon discharge. Homelessness stared Sitara, her kids and her brand new baby boy in the face.
Fortunately for Maria, Sitara, the Reyes family, and so many others, someone connected them to Journey Home Community, where they received a warm, beautiful welcome and started a new journey of hope.
Many refugee claimant families arrive in Metro Vancouver with limited options, often homeless, isolated, and in desperate need of community and support. The journey towards settling in a new country is fraught with challenges, from finding safe housing to navigating complex legal and social systems.
Every refugee journey is an opportunity for God’s people to embody the love of Christ. Will you join us in being the hands and feet of Jesus to those seeking refuge?
The Need is Growing
The number of forcibly displaced persons around the world is escalating.
By the end of June 2024:
122.6 million people were forcibly displaced.
43.7 million people on Earth were refugees
In the last decade, the number of refugees in our world has tripled.
In 2024, over 11,000 refugee claimants arrived in British Columbia.
People have to leave their homes for many different reasons, including violence, persecution and war.
“The sad reality is that refugee claimant families will continue to arrive on our shores having fled from danger and persecution. The need to support these vulnerable families is not going away. Journey Home plans to be there for arriving refugees, providing housing, support and community for years to come.”
—Brad Kinnie, Executive Director, Journey Home Community
Thanks to People Like You
In the past 3 years, Journey Home Community has helped 805 people find a place to call home.
In 2024, Journey Home Community served 264 individuals.
Our programs provide more than just shelter; they offer a pathway to successful community integration through comprehensive support services. This aggregate impact on families and communities over time is multiplied many times over.
Since our inception in 2005, Journey Home Community has evolved from a small group at Willingdon Church addressing the needs of a few homeless and isolated refugee claimant families to a robust organization supporting hundreds annually.
The Reyes family still remembers arriving in Canada. “In the first days, we didn’t have a place to stay,” mother Reyes recalls. “It was horrible.” So desperate for a safe place to sleep, they stayed at the airport for several days until they were taken to separate shelters in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. They felt lonely and scared. “I was even afraid to sleep,’ remembers Grandma.
“You didn’t just help us with housing; you helped us feel like we were home.”
Thankfully the family was connected with Journey Home Community and moved into temporary housing. After weeks of uncertainty, they finally found a place to breathe again. “We were not at the airport anymore, feeling unsafe. We could sleep and feel at ease.”
This marked the beginning of their healing journey. Eventually, they could move into a home of their own. Having a safe, permanent place to live allowed them to shift their focus from survival to planning for the future.“I felt I could dream again,” said mother Reyes. Hear their story.
Welcome to Your Home
Our Approach
Welcome Homes
Welcome Homes are transitional housing spaces that welcome newly arrived, homeless, vulnerable refugee claimants.
Welcome Homes offer a six-month settlement program including:
short term, emergency transitional housing.
stability, community, and care.
support to secure and move to permanent rental homes (subsidized or market).
wrap-around case management.
Communities of Welcome
Journey Home Community trains and coaches community groups and faith communities to receive a refugee claimant family or individual and walk with them for a year, providing housing and sharing information and referrals for access to settlement support.
Housing Partnerships
Through strategic partnerships with developers in our Meanwhile Spaces initiative, we transform vacant spaces awaiting demolition into welcoming transitional homes for those seeking refuge and stability.
We are currently partnering with Polygon Homes, Wesgroup, and Concert Properties.
We also partner with churches and non-profit housing providers to provide additional transitional housing.
Why Welcome Matters
When refugees are integrated into Canadian society, research has shown that they contribute in meaningful ways:
Over time, refugees pay more in income tax than they receive in public benefits and services.
Refugees show high rates of home ownership and entrepreneurship.
Many refugees join Canada’s middle class within five years of their arrival.
Refugees report a high sense of belonging to Canada, with 95% of refugees feeling a “strong” sense of belonging to Canada.
She Rebuilt Her Life
Marleni’s early life in Peru was shattered by violence, leading to a dispersed family and later an abusive marriage. Seeking a safer future, she made a daring escape to the United States, only to face the threat of deportation back to dangerous conditions. Desperate for refuge, Marleni and her daughter ventured into Canada, where
they were greeted by the Journey Home Community with open arms and the comforting words, "Welcome to your home."
Under the compassionate care of Journey Home Community, Marleni found more than just shelter; she discovered a supportive community that understood her struggles. Embraced by this community, she gained the strength to rebuild her life, eventually joining the organization’s board of directors to help others navigate their paths to safety and belonging.
Expanding Our Services
For our 20th Anniversary Campaign, we aim to raise $3 million pledged over the next 3 years to expand our services.
More refugee claimants are arriving in Metro Vancouver than Journey Home can assist.
With your help, we can welcome more people.
By giving, you are providing housing and support and answering Christ’s invitation to love our neighbours and welcome the stranger. Will you join us in this important work?
The next 3 years
Over the next 3 years, we aim to expand our services and strengthen relationships by:
Welcoming 1,000 refugees into transitional housing from homelessness
Integrating 920 refugees into a new community in permanent housing
Providing 30,000 meals to refugees experiencing food insecurity
Connecting 180 households to a source of income
Enlisting 30 graduating program participants to volunteer roles, building Canadian experience and giving back to the community
Completing 1150 individual registrations into classes promoting integration and settlement (housing, newcomer, and English learning classes)
Will you partner with us to welcome and love the stranger, feed the hungry, and provide a place of refuge for those in need?
Ways to Give
Join Journey Home Community by volunteering or donating to support refugee claimants. Our volunteers enjoy a dynamic environment where they build skills, forge friendships, and directly impact lives through our diverse programs. Your donations provide essential housing, food security, and settlement support, helping newcomers integrate and flourish in their new communities.
Consider becoming a monthly donor with 'The Landing,' our program that allows you to commit to ongoing support, ensuring that we can continue to offer a welcoming community to those in need. Together, we can make a significant difference.
Give By Mail: 7175 Royal Oak Avenue Burnaby, BC V5J 4J3
