Rhonda's story
Navigating the uncertainty of securing housing as an asylum seeker is an experience that many people know far too well. After enduring significant trauma from fleeing war, persecution and genocide, people seeking asylum then face the ongoing hardships of securing a safe place to live, finding employment and settling into life in a new, unfamiliar country.
Rhonda’s story is a demonstration of utmost courage and resilience to seek her own independence and forge a sense of security and permanence for her son, as he grows up in a new country.
How it started
Rhonda and her young son fled violence in their home country of Papua New Guinea and arrived in Australia on a Tourist Visa, in the hopes of starting a new chapter of their lives. On the day they arrived, Rhonda came to our housing service, HART4000, to find a place for her and her son to live.
How Communify helped
Using Immediate Housing Response for Families (IHRF) funding, HART4000 secured hotel accommodation to ensure they had somewhere safe to stay. The team then swiftly referred the family to our partner services Red Cross, Romero Centre and Refugee and Immigration Legal Support (RAILS), to assist in completing their permanent protection claims and obtain emergency relief payments. This enabled Rhonda to successfully obtain a Bridging Visa A that provided her with work rights. However, with her son being too young to attend school at the time, employment was no longer an option for Rhonda as she couldn’t work enough hours to support herself. To mitigate this, HART4000 submitted an application for Rhonda to receive Status Resolution Support Services (SRSS) payments.
These mounting setbacks began to weigh down on Rhonda who was eager to move forward, return to work, and gain independence. The realities of being in a foreign country, away from everyone they knew made it very difficult for the family to feel at ease. Being unable to support herself and her child significantly affected Rhonda’s mental health and sense of self-determination, as she was heavily reliant on the services of the hotel they were living in.
Rhonda’s allocated HART4000 support worker referred her to counselling with World Wellness Group and provided her with emergency relief to support her in working towards her independence. Our team was constantly inspired by Rhonda’s perseverance and commitment, despite the numerous challenges she was faced with.
Turning a corner
Things began to turn around for Rhonda in July, when her SRSS payments were approved and she started receiving an income. HART4000 sourced a private rental property for the family through a trusted real estate agency and guided her through the viewing and application process. As Rhonda is currently unable to afford the required rental costs, HART4000 provided lump sum brokerage to secure safe long-term housing for her family while she gets back on her feet. Rhonda then applied for a Bond Loan and Rental Grant with the help of her HART support worker, and together they furnished the property with beds, whitegoods and other donated household items.
How it's going
Rhonda and her son have settled into their cozy new house and love having their own space, which they can now call home. With the help of HART4000’s responsive, tailored housing solutions, Rhonda was able to overcome barriers pertaining to visas, working rights, rental market and more, which has directly supported her and her son to build a fresh, safe start here in Australia.
Do you need help like Rhonda?
HART4000 works with people from all walks of life who are currently experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness.
Communify also assists people seeking asylum through the ASRA Program, which provides specialist support to asylum seekers to access housing, emergency relief, health services, legal support and more.
