Last night (Monday, 27th July), the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC) was advised by a staff member that they had tested positive for COVID-19.
The ASRC has developed strict COVID-19 protocols and carefully planned for our organisations’ response to a potential positive COVID-19 case according to the advice of Victoria’s Chief Medical Officer and the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).
The wellbeing and safety of our workforce, people seeking asylum and the community is our greatest concern and priority.
We therefore immediately closed all ASRC sites prior to our workforce commencing work today.
As a precautionary measure, terminal cleans will soon begin on all ASRC sites and we will be led by the DHHS regarding contact tracing.
We are in constant contact with staff, volunteers and people seeking asylum to offer our support.
We will offer appropriate leave and full pay to our staff to ensure that those who need to get tested can do so and safely self-isolate, without the worry of a loss of income.
The ASRC is a lifeline for thousands of vulnerable people facing homelessness and food insecurity. The ASRC’s pandemic planning has been developed to ensure the continuity of critical services and we’re here to help.
We will continue to safely and remotely deliver critical services until we are advised that we can safely reopen. This includes ensuring food security, emergency housing assistance, legal advice, medical assistance and casework support.
Our thoughts are with the impacted staff member who we will continue to support and we wish them a speedy and full recovery.
ASRC CEO Kon Karapanagiotidis said: “Given the unprecedented pandemic impacting all our lives, we have been planning for this scenario for months. We have taken early and swift action to close down all ASRC sites to protect staff, people seeking asylum and the community.”
“The ASRC has the capacity to deliver essential services remotely and will continue to do so. We are committed to the health and safety of our people and the community and we will remain that vital safety net for the thousands of people seeking asylum who rely on us. We are supporting all of our staff with special paid leave to safely get tested and self isolate, if required.”
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For more information and interviews, please contact: Marcella Brasett on 0411 026 142
If you are a person seeking asylum, please note The ASRC Offices are closed until further notice. However, our services remain available and are operating offsite. We are able to help you. Please call 03 9326 6066 and if you can’t get through, call back later.
Please be aware we are experiencing a high volume of calls, so your patience is appreciated.
You can see how this popup was set up in our step-by-step guide: https://wppopupmaker.com/guides/auto-opening-announcement-popups/
As you may be aware, there are changes occurring at the ASRC.
To plan for these changes to make the ASRC sustainable into the future:
The Footscray centre will close to all visitors every Wednesday.
Every Friday, some services will be closed but the Foodbank, Health, Legal and Hub services will remain open.
To access our services, you can phone 03 9326 6066 or come to the ASRC Footscray in person during opening hours.
The Reception Team will greet you and link you with our services.
As you may be aware, there are changes occurring at the ASRC.
To plan for these changes to make the ASRC sustainable into the future:
The Footscray centre will close to all visitors every Wednesday.
Every Friday, some services will be closed but the Foodbank, Health, Legal and Hub services will remain open.
To access our services, you can phone 03 9326 6066 or come to the ASRC Footscray in person during opening hours. The Reception Team will greet you and link you with our services.
The Government has announced it will provide pathways for TPV/SHEV holders and TPV/SHEV applicants to
be assessed for RoS visas. RoS visas are permanent visas that allow holders to live, work and study in Australia,
access government services such as Medicare and Centrelink, and sponsor eligible family members for
permanent residence.
Click here for Permanent Visa Pathways for TPV/SHEV Holders & Applicants Fact Sheet
The Fact Sheet is also available in: Dari – Urdu – Arabic – Tamil
Thanks for your interest in supporting the ASRC Telethon on World Refugee Day, Monday 20th June.
Complete this form with your details and we will send you an email reminder before the event as well as alerts throughout the day when key activities happen.
Please note: all requests submitted to the Marketing Services Model will not be worked on until 1 July 2022 to allow the team space to focus on projects such as the Winter Appeal and Telethon.
You are welcome to submit requests and we’d love to support – we ask that you please supply a reasonable due date, keeping in mind we will not tend to the request until July. Thank you!
We acknowledge the Traditional Owners across Australia and pay respect to their Ancestors and Elders, past and present. We acknowledge sovereignty of the lands upon which we work and live have never been ceded.
The centre is OPEN again from Tuesday 11th – Friday 14th (10am – 5pm).
We will return to normal operating hours (10am – 5pm, Monday – Friday), from Monday 17th of January onwards.
The centre is OPEN again from Tuesday 11th – Friday 14th (10am – 5pm).
We will return to normal operating hours (10am – 5pm, Monday – Friday), from Monday 17th of January onwards.
If you applied for a TPV or SHEV visa between 2015 and 2017 and have not already attended a Protection visa interview with the Department, please contact the ASRC urgently for legal assistance. CALL: Fast track hotline 0422035324 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm) or email legal@asrc.org.au
The application interview is your only chance to explain your case to the Department. Update your contact details with the Department to receive your Interview Invitation (the ASRC can also help you do this).
Click here to learn more (Info sheet Fast Track interviews).
Click here to read info sheet in other languages.
“I can’t erase racism by myself. It’s only if we all come together to accept that there is an issue and work together that we can make a change.”
Prudence Melom, founder and CEO of E-RACED
“Growing in a refugee camp and experiencing hardship from a young age I felt very misunderstood among my peers in Australia. Kids my age did not understand why my skin was darker, they didn’t understand why my accent was a little different and they didn’t understand why I came to Australia.
“I was inspired to start E-RACED after experiencing first hand the effects of racism in this country and the power of sharing my story to completely change people’s attitudes. Never underestimate the power of one-on-one interactions and sharing stories to change the world.”
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Connect with us
Need help from the ASRC? Call 03 9326 6066 or visit us: Mon-Tue-Thur-Fri 10am -5pm. Closed on Wednesdays.