The roots of Reception House go back to 1985 when the K-W House Church began providing housing for refugees at 101 David Street, across from Victoria Park in Kitchener. It wasn’t until December of 1987 that Reception House (then known as K-W Reception Centre) was formally established, receiving 36 families from different backgrounds. In 1989, the federal government commenced the Resettlement Assistance Program (RAP) at Reception House, making it one of 30 similar sites across Canada. Over 30 years later, we continue to be the first point of service for government assisted refugees coming to Waterloo region. Our link to 101 David St is a foundational part of our history and we continue to value the relationship we have with House Church.
Over the past three decades, Reception House Waterloo Region has supported hundreds of refugees each year from all over the world. Alongside temporary accommodation and initial integration services, we also offer life skills orientations, health referrals, housing support, employment readiness training, and youth programming. The combination of these programs helps newcomers feel a sense of belonging and empowers them to settle in their new community.
In recent years, Reception House has partnered with Kitchener’s Centre for Family Medicine, McMaster medical students, pharmacists and optometrists throughout the region to create the Refugee Health Clinic.
In late 2024, we moved our administrative offices to 101 Frederick Street, Suite 700 in Kitchener, ON. Due to increasing numbers of refugees and the impact of the pandemic, we have consolidated our temporary accommodations into a hotel model of service. Thanks to support from the City of Kitchener, in the coming year we will be breaking ground to build our own affordable, temporary and permanent housing facility. This building will feature 30 units that will service everyone from single individuals to large families. To learn more or donate, please check out our Home Begins Here project.
