The vision of the City of Refuge Children’s Home was born in the hearts of Steve and Kim Puffpaff in 1997. Seeing the plight of the many homeless children in the island nation of Jamaica, they felt that God would have them do something to reach out to these children. As they began to think and pray, the name “City of Refuge” came to them. This name comes from Joshua 20 where it says that the Cities of Refuge should be a place to “escape the avenger”.
Through the generous gifts of many churches, foundations and individuals, a beautiful piece of property was purchased in late 2001 in the cool Blue Mountains, northeast of Kingston. This property, which formerly housed a luxury hotel, is the perfect setting to offer the peace, safety, and tranquility that these children need to “escape the avenger” of fear, hunger and homelessness.