COMPASS Refugee Centre began in 1987 as a coalition of four Mennonite Churches in Kitchener-Waterloo and MCC Ontario. One of those churches, First Mennonite, had already recognized the need for holistic support for refugee claimants. They established a Hispanic service, created host families for new refugees, and assisted by supporting them with the legal processes, finding housing and jobs, language training, medical support, and education for their children.