Kensington
has a history of caring for those in need. The Anglican
Sisterhood of St. John the Divine had been operating
church homes for the aged since 1886. In 1907 they
purchased and transformed 87 Bellevue to accommodate
about forty-five elderly women. During those years
the sisters also managed the Hospital for the Treatment
of Women on Major Street, and the forerunner of
the Doctors Hospital. In 1992 the Homes First Society
bought and converted the Bellevue building to provide
affordable housing.