History

Photo: Mark Janousek

Kinbrace is BC’s first housing and support provider for refugee claimants.

Launched in 1998, the Kinbrace community offers a steady and ever-widening welcome to people seeking refugee protection in Canada.

Birthed by Salsbury Community Society, a grass-roots charity rooted in the faith community of Grandview Church in east Vancouver, Kinbrace quickly became a dynamic community of welcome to people seeking refugee protection, thanks to the support of many visionary partners, including Hawthorne Charitable Foundation. With its commitment to social investment, Hawthorne partnered with Salsbury to purchase two contiguous properties in 1998 and 2005, providing the architectural space for Kinbrace to offer affordable, supportive housing and engage community building.

The simple model of Canadians living with refugee claimants informs and expands our capacity to welcome. In 2008, after 10 years of living together and building relationships in the wider community, Kinbrace co-founded Ready Tours with the UNHCR and the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada – Refugee Protection Division. Today, refugee claimants across the country have increased access to Canada’s refugee protection system through Kinbrace’s My Refugee Claim resources.

What’s in our name?

The co-founders coined the name “Kinbrace” in 1998 by joining kinship and embrace. A few years later, after google got established, we learned there’s a village in Scotland by the same name! The name also shows up a few times around the world. At one point we met via email with a few of the friendly people of Kinbrace, Scotland, and have appreciated learning about their history.