Having a Place to Live Meant Everything
On May 15, 2024, Felipe and Marcela* arrived in Vancouver seeking safety and stability. However, without documents, income, or a place to sleep, their first days were marked by uncertainty. They were exhausted after going months without sleeping or eating well, and they had no help or financial support.
When they went to Legal Aid to make their refugee claim, a social worker referred them to Journey Home Community. That was when they learned that there was a place for them in Canada.
Felipe vividly remembers the feeling of realising that his family would not be turned away. The relief was overwhelming. For the first time in weeks, he could provide regular meals to his seven-year-old son, Andres. At long last, Marcela, who was two months pregnant, could rest from the frightening and disorienting experience of leaving home with no guarantee of support at the destination. The simple, stabilising gift of safe housing changed their reality almost overnight.
However, their journey was not without further hardship. A few months later, their daughter, Laura, was born nearly 17 weeks early. She remained in the hospital for four months. Felipe and Marcela found themselves navigating the neonatal intensive care unit, complex medical systems, and the daily uncertainty of their newborn’s condition, all while looking for permanent housing and solidifying their refugee status.
Those months were overwhelming, but Journey Home Community stood with them. Their caseworker offered more than professional guidance; he walked with them through unfamiliar systems, answered questions, and encouraged them when fear threatened to eclipse hope. A volunteer accompanied them to medical appointments as an interpreter and steady presence, ensuring they never faced critical conversations alone.
Today, Laura is a healthy baby making steady progress. Andres is thriving in school. Felipe and Marcela are building a new life grounded in something they once lacked: stability. Safe housing, food on the table, access to healthcare, and secure places for their children to grow have transformed their sense of what is possible. As Marcela reflects, “Journey Home walked alongside us, and that changed everything.”
Felipe and Marcela’s story highlights an essential truth: refugee claimant families rebuilding their lives need more than a simple “hello.” They need consistent, reliable support through medical crises, school enrolments, and the everyday challenges of starting over in a new country.
That kind of steady care is made possible by monthly donors.
When families arrive with nothing, Journey Home Community must be ready. When a newborn spends months in the hospital, support cannot fade after a week. Predictable monthly donations provide the stability we need to respond to urgent needs and walk with families for as long as it takes.
Small, consistent gifts lay the foundation for new beginnings. Together, monthly donors form a circle of welcome that helps sustain families through their most vulnerable seasons.
Felipe and Marcela’s journey is a story of resilience supported by faithful, ongoing generosity. As more families seek safety in Metro Vancouver, we invite you to join the Welcome Circle and become part of a community of monthly donors helping to ensure that families like Felipe’s have the stability they need to rebuild. By giving each month, you join a circle of welcome that supports refugee claimant families not just once, but for the long road toward hope, healing, and a new beginning.
* Names changed for privacy.
