ASRC provided 17,394 nights of shelter to 115 members seeking protection from harm

In the 2014 – 2015 financial year, the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre’s (ASRC) Rent for Asylum Seekers Program provided 17,394 nights of shelter to 115 members seeking protection from harm. It’s a life-line for people who live in legal limbo in the refugee determination process which can take years. They typically do not have work rights, access to income or loans, but for dozens of people, it’s meant the difference between the support needed whilst on the road to financial independence, and abject homelessness.

In a sector that is fraught with complex eligibility criteria and struggles to provide adequate housing for the people seeking asylum, the ASRC model comprising assistance with rental payments ensures that people are able to stay in their homes, feel safe, in familiar surroundings, while remaining close to their established support networks.

“It allows people to remain independent and in the place they’ve chosen to live,” said ASRC Housing Coordinator, Skye McElvenny.

“If things change and we don’t need to provide housing support anymore, we can actually just end the program by stopping payments,” said Skye.

“We don’t need to move them out of the property, and they don’t need to uproot and leave.”

To shed some light on the impact of this program is a family of two parents and three children under the age of six, who were at the risk of homelessness as a result of losing the right to work following the expiry of their bridging visas. As this family were pursuing a review of their refugee status and their application for protection, they were ineligible for government funded support.

In the eleventh hour, the ASRC assisted them through rental payments, legal assistance and casework to advocate for access to Government support and reinstatement of work rights.

Over the past few years, we’ve been able to meet the increasing need for housing despite changing policy in regards to work rights, eligibility for government funded safety nets, and increased processing times for refugee determination. We’ve been able to do this by raising the housing budget from $40k three years ago, to $280k this year, a rise of nearly 700%.

The Rent for Asylum Seekers Program provides one third of the sector’s housing, which it achieves only by the support and donations of the Australian community who have helped sustain this $280k yearly program.

“Our funders have appreciated knowing that every dollar goes to directly paying rent, that there are no infrastructure costs in this project,” said Skye.

When you invest in the ASRC, you are making a difference to the lives of people seeking asylum. Help us continue to protect, support and empower people seeking asylum now.