Volunteer at Journey Home Community

What To Expect
By Volunteering

Join our volunteer team where you will experience a fun and supportive environment as we create caring communities together. All kinds of skills and backgrounds are needed! Volunteering with Journey Home is all about encountering mutually-beneficial relationships with refugee claimants. You’ll build new skills, meet new friends, as well as be supported and encouraged in your role through training and connection.

“When I started volunteering at Journey Home, I thought that I was going to be the one giving as I provided support for refugees. But over the last few years I’ve received far more than I ever could have imagined, and am constantly inspired by the courage and resilience of the friends I’ve made from all over the world.”
— Emma

Ways To
Get Involved

We have many opportunities here at Journey Home! See below for a list of ways to get involved and their time commitments. 

  • Casual opportunities are impromptu throughout the year with a variety of skills.

    Interpreter/Translator Team — especially Spanish, Farsi/Dari, Arabic, and Kurdish (ad hoc)

    Office Administration Team — help support our Office Administrator with both short-term and long-term projects (varying time commitments)

    Newsletter Mailout Team — Quarterly

    Housing Advocate Team — there is a great need for newly-arrived refugee claimants to have advocates accompany them to meet landlords as they try to secure permanent housing, as well as volunteers to show them how to navigate online forums like Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace. * This role requires additional screening

    Gardening Team — weeding, cleaning, organizing, painting etc.

    Maintenance Team — basic maintenance/handyperson jobs at existing transitional housing, including painting

    Moving Team to permanent housing, both light-duty and heavy-duty help is needed

    Communications and Development Team — including grant researchers and writers, and representatives to help with various projects and engaging donors.

    IT Support Team — technology information and support with software, hardware etc.

    Cleaning Team — cleaning and prepping rooms/homes for refugees

    Photographer/Videographer — willing to help at JHC events and/or for promotional projects.

    Refugee Accompaniment Team — you have a driver's license and access to your own vehicle and would be open to driving refugee families/individuals to appointments etc. * This role requires additional screening

    Furniture Assembly Team — willing to help build furniture for office or refugee housing (i.e. Ikea)

  • Volunteer roles have specific job descriptions, time commitments (weekly to one year) and require additional screening.

    Community Dinner Volunteers — cook and/or visit with new families in our transitional homes (once a month - six-month commitment)

    Community Bridge Builder — connect new families to neighbourhood resources in a specific neighbourhood (Burnaby, New Westminster) (ad hoc - one-year commitment)

    Family Friends — get to know a new family and be one of their first connections in Canada (weekly - one-year commitment)

    Newcomers Class — facilitators, classroom support, childminding

  • Event opportunities are planned and require a variety of talents.

    — Annual Picnic (July or August)

    — Annual Christmas Celebration (December)

    — Annual Spring Gala (May)

    — Ride for Refuge (September)

    — Pop-Up Clothing Drive (2)- Fall & Spring

Looking To Volunteer?

Join our volunteer team where you will encounter a fun, supportive,
and exciting experience helping us create caring communities. 

Have questions before applying?
GET IN TOUCH

Form a Community of Welcome for Refugee Claimants

Is your community group interested in supporting a refugee claimant family? We provide training and coaching. Your group helps a family settle and provides some financial support. We ask for a minimum one year commitment.

We screen our volunteers carefully. Refugee claimant families are vulnerable when they first arrive and we have a responsibility to protect our community. Thanks for being patient with this necessary process.