About Us

WHO WE ARE

Our Vision

The Christie Refugee Welcome Centre is a place of welcome, safety and support for refugees.

Our Mission

We are a Christian organization serving and advocating for refugee families by providing safe, temporary housing, initial settlement services, and follow-up support. We influence and engage the broader public through education and advocacy networks.

Our Values

  • We are Christian
  • We respond to refugees with dignity and respect
  • We are resilient and responsive to the changing needs of refugees
  • We are committed to children and families
  • We partner with others to serve refugees more effectively
  • We are advocates for refugees
The Christie Street Welcome Centre staff at our 2024 staff retreat in Niagara Falls.

The Christie Street Welcome Centre staff at our 2024 staff retreat in Niagara Falls.

WHAT WE DO

Located in the heart of downtown Toronto, a few minutes from Christie subway station, Christie Refugee Welcome Centre (CRWC) has provided emergency shelter for refugee claimant families of all ethnic, racial and religious backgrounds since 1989. Every year, approximately 100 families from countries around the world are housed at Christie Refugee Welcome Centre. At Christie, we shelter refugee families with care and support and provide intensive follow-up and assistance as families pursue their refugee claims and begin their new lives in Canada.

OUR HISTORY

1989
1989

Early Days

Founded by World Vision Canada in 1989, Christie Refugee Welcome Centre began as the World Vision Reception Centre, developed to welcome some of the 750 Government-Assisted Refugees arriving to Toronto in the late 1980s. At this time, the largest refugee resettlements in Canada’s history was taking place: the resettlement of more than 60,000 refugees from Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam to Canada. World Vision Reception Centre signed on as a Sponsorship Agreement Holder to facilitate the sponsorship of refugees.

First Families

This photograph captures the moment one of the first families arrived at the World Vision Reception Centre in 1989.

One of the first families to arrive

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