Lorem ipsum dolor sit
The Vision and History of
Place of Refuge
Jeff C. Borden, MA, ICADC, ICCS, has led Place of Refuge with compassion and clarity for 14 years. As Executive Director, he has shaped a person-centred program that welcomes individuals of all backgrounds and supports each resident with respect, care, and dignity.
Garry Janzen, Board Chair Place of Refuge.
Welcome from the Place of Refuge Visionary & Board Chair, Garry Janzen
I welcome you to hear the Place of Refuge (POR) story. POR is a home that provides a safe environment for men who have successfully reached the second stage of their recovery process to prepare them to transition into healthy and confident living. Place of Refuge Society is a Christian organisation that is licensed by the city of Vancouver and regulated by the Assisted Living Registry of British Columbia.
In early 1999 I sensed a need for providing a recovery house in South Vancouver. I was pastor of Sherbrooke Mennonite Church (SMC), and I was building relationships with two men who were coming to SMC, struggling with addictions, and living in a place that gave no encouragement towards recovery. The concept of the Place of Refuge was first presented to the SMC church on June 9th, 1999. There were many questions, but encouragement was given to the SMC mission committee to continue to explore this idea.
On November 22nd, a proposal was approved by Sherbrooke Mennonite Church, which included: forming a society, a commitment from Sherbrooke Mennonite Church members to get involved, raising funds, developing a partnership with at least another three churches, and partnering with Hope for Freedom Society (HFFS) to provide the program. Much work was done in building these partnerships, and in fundraising with what became five partner churches.
After extensive renovations, approval processes, many volunteer work hours, donations in kind, and with BC Housing’s assistance, POR purchased the house at the original cost. The house officially opened on August 1st 2009.
In March, when Jeff Borden became the house manager, the value of being in POR was significantly increased. On October 1st, 2013, the POR Society took over the program from HFFS, and made Jeff the Executive Director in 2015. POR is now an independent transition house, and we have developed relationships with many recovery agencies as sources of future residents.
In April, Jeff began graduate studies towards a Masters in Leadership degree at Royal Roads University in Victoria. He completed his studies in April 2021, and his Masters in Leadership was conferred in July 2021. We are very proud of Jeff’s hard work at accomplishing this degree. His learnings from these studies are influential in shaping the future of POR. We are also very proud of the work that Jeff is doing and the relationships that he has established across the network of people doing recovery work.
As a continuing commitment to mentorship and leadership development, Reive Doig was brought on in February as live-in support staff, and he is being mentored and trained by Jeff.
Not only do we celebrate our 15th anniversary but we also acquired the keys to our second transitional housing facility, in the same neighbourhood as the first.
How to Help Place of Refuge
Every donation brings hope.
Place of Refuge is a lifeline for men in the second stage of their recovery. Your support empowers individuals to forge an identity free from addiction and substance abuse. By providing a safe and supportive environment, we offer a path to stability, independence, and community contributions.
