Is friendship the greatest challenge facing some refugees? When Abdul and his wife Lubna first arrived in Australia seeking safety, the pair settled in Dandenong in Melbourne’s South-East, home to Victoria’s largest refugee community. But soon after moving into their new neighbourhood, Lubna became seriously ill and was in desperate need of medical care. Without
Read more
Building a new hope in Melbourne’s South-East The Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC) began as a response to a growing need in the community. All those years ago when families seeking asylum first started coming to us for help, our community of compassion rallied together to provide people with the things they needed most. And
Read more
How seeking asylum impacts on seeking employment Finding a job right now is extremely difficult. But for many people seeking asylum, the extra barriers to finding employment during a pandemic can be almost insurmountable. And without access to government safety nets, such as JobKeeper and JobSeeker, people seeking asylum are relying on a regular income
Read more
Last week an ASRC staff member tested positive for COVID-19 and as a precautionary measure we closed our centre in Footscray until further notice. We’re looking forward to opening again when it’s safe to do so. But despite the centre being physically closed, the ASRC remains open to support people seeking asylum. Thanks to the
Read more
Fear and uncertainty are spreading amongst residents of Australian detention centres and Alternative Places Of Detention (APOD) as a staff member at the overcrowded Mantra detention facility in the Melbourne suburb of Preston has tested positive for coronavirus. Right now more than 1,400 people are being held in detention centres and APODs around Australia. Detention
Read more
