Kinbrace is BC’s first housing and support provider for refugee claimants.
The Kinbrace community is faith-inspired, rooted in the Christian tradition, birthed in and through Grandview Church in east Vancouver in 1998.
With a commitment to intentional community, marked by five core values, 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, which partnered with Kinbrace to purchase two contiguous properties in 1998 and 2005, providing the architectural space for the community to offer affordable, supportive housing and engage community building.
The intentional 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 UNHCR Canada 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 collaborative My Refugee Claim resources.