What We Do
Community Hub
Building a Home for Paws for Hope: A New Vision for Animal Care in BC
At Paws for Hope Animal Foundation, we believe that loved pets are an important part of a family and deserve to be healthy and happy. Every day, we help pet families in need across British Columbia. Since 2011, we have delivered our services remotely, with no physical home for our organization. That changes now.
The Current Challenge
Since early 2023, we have had to turn away hundreds of people who needed temporary pet fostering while facing a personal crisis. People in crisis are either surrendering their pets or delaying treatment and medical care because they have nowhere for their pets to stay temporarily. In addition, without a physical hub, we face these ongoing barriers:
- Foster families travel long distances to pick up and drop off pets and receive supplies
- No dedicated space for emergency pet boarding
- No central location for community programs and training
- High storage and transportation costs for pet food and supplies
- Limited ability to run consistent veterinary clinics
Our Solution: The Paws for Hope Community Hub
The Community Hub will be BC’s first integrated animal welfare centre, bringing together services that no other organization in the province offers under one roof. Having a facility where we can accept cats and small animals like rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, and ferrets means we will never have to turn away a pet family in crisis again.
This space in East Vancouver is currently being renovated, waiting for the appropriate approvals and will eventually become the perfect fit for Paws for Hope programs and services including:
- Free wellness clinic providing vaccines, parasite control, grooming, and physical exams
- Safe boarding cats and small, caged animals
- Training and community meeting space for foster families and volunteers
- Centralized storage and a community pet pantry
- Street-level storefront accessible by transit
- Partnership space for social service agencies
- Administrative offices for our growing team
Impact Through Integration
This hub will reduce transportation barriers for pets, foster families, and staff. It will give us a permanent home for veterinary clinics, emergency boarding, and foster training. Most importantly, it will let us say yes to more pet families that come to us for help. No other organization in BC brings all of these services together. Our One Health approach treats the wellbeing of people and their pets as inseparable, and this building gives that approach a permanent home.
The Investment
The total cost to secure, renovate, and operate the Community Hub for three years is $740,000. Our goal is to have all funds committed by December 2026. We moved in April 1, 2026 and renovations are well underway with a goal to be fully open before the end of 2026.
- Year 1 (April through December 2026): $330,000, covering lease payments, staffing, renovations, and clinic equipment
- Year 2 (January through December 2027): $205,000, covering lease and staffing
- Year 3 (January through December 2028): $205,000, covering lease and staffing
Be Part of this New Hub
Every donor who supports the Community Hub will be recognized throughout the space. Named opportunities include:
- $170,000/year (3-year commitment): Naming rights of the entire hub
- $50,000/year (3-year commitment): Naming rights of the meeting area
- $25,000/year (3-year commitment): Naming rights of a veterinary exam room
- $20,000/year (3-year commitment): Naming rights of a cat room
- $10,000/year (3-year commitment): Naming rights of the staff room
- $10,000/year (3-year commitment): Naming rights of the reception area
- $5,000/year (1-year commitment): Large paw print on the reception wall
- $3,000/year (1-year commitment): Small paw print on the reception wall
More About Us
Paws for Hope’s purpose is to keep pets with the families that love them. Most animals do not need to be rescued. Most often, the people who love and care for them simply need support. We serve vulnerable pet families across BC facing crisis because of trauma, abuse, addiction, illness, mental health challenges, financial hardship, accidents, homelessness, or disability. Supporting families to stay together is the greatest contribution we can make to animal welfare.
Our Guiding Principles
Keeping pets with families:
All pets deserve to be healthy, happy, and with the people who love them most.
Building trusted relationships:
All bonded families should receive help and support in times of need, without judgement.
Supporting a One Health mindset:
Social services, crisis intervention, and financial support are essential to both animal and human welfare.
Harnessing the power of working together:
Partnerships with vets, social services, and other agencies create a more sustainable and empowered animal welfare sector.