Asylum Seeker and Refugee Assistance (ASRA) program

In May 2021, the Queensland Government through the Department of Children, Youth Justice and Multicultural Affairs committed $8.3 million for the ASRA Program through to 2024-2025.  $2.075 million has been allocated for 2021-2022 and Communify was asked to once again lead the collaboration of 7 organisations to support people seeking asylum and people with temporary visas residing in Queensland.  “This new funding means the continuation of this much-needed program and builds on the $4.6 million the government has allocated to the ASRA Program since 2018.” (Qld Govt press release)

Under the ASRA Program, Communify Qld works with a consortium of partners to deliver specialist services.  The aim of the ASRA program is to support wellbeing, build capacity, provide basic financial assistance and develop collaborative efforts of the community to sustain asylum seeker support. The program provides assistance with emergency relief, individual and family support, health, legal, employment, mental health and housing supports.  Support is delivered at the ASRA Outreach Hubs and the specialist ASRA workers attend these hubs.

The ASRA organisations providing this support are:

  • Communify Qld – ASRA Program management and coordination and housing support
  • Australian Red Cross – management and distribution of emergency relief funds and individual and family support
  • RAILS – legal support
  • Multicultural Australia – employment support and ASRA hub coordination
  • QPASTT – mental health support
  • World Wellness Group – health advocacy and nurse case management
  • Indooroopilly Uniting Church (IUC) Hub –  IUC Hub and volunteer coordination

We need your help!

Although State Government fund the ASRA Program, the needs of people seeking asylum with no income are great.  Requests for support continue to increase as people continue to live with ongoing visa uncertainty; some without work rights. ASRA funds cannot meet all the needs such as rent payments, education costs, medical costs, costs associated with disability needs, utility payments etc.  We continue to seek funds to cover these needs, particularly medication, disability and housing costs.  We can also make good use of food vouchers and GO cards.  Please consider making a donation.

Donate here by card, through our Give Now fund, or by direct deposit – details below. All donations are tax-deductible.

Or you can make a direct deposit to the Communify Qld Gift Account:

  • Reference: Asylum Seeker
  • BSB: 064123
  • Account: 10123138

Please email our Finance Team to request a tax-deductible receipt if you choose this method:

Click Here to Email a Request for a Receipt

For more information

Support Coordination of Brisbane Community Hubs

Communify Qld has partnered with  Community Hubs Australia to operate as the Brisbane Hub Support Agency which  provides a Support Coordinator  to  assist Zillmere, Inala, Watson Road Acacia Ridge, Acacia Ridge and Grand Ave Primary schools to establish community hubs.

These community hubs welcome community members including  migrant and refugee families, particularly mothers with young children to share and learn. The onsite hubs will connect preschool children into playgroups and prepare them for school, help women and children learn and practice English; and build pathways to volunteering and employment.

For more information:

Visit Community Hubs

Read More

Support our work

Thank you for your generosity.
Your donation provides emergency relief for asylum seekers in Queensland, helping them with basic living essentials such as medication, food and housing.
Donate here through our Give Now fund, or by direct deposit – details below.
All donations are tax-deductible.

Or you can make a direct deposit to the Communify Qld Gift Account:

  • Reference: Asylum Seeker
  • BSB: 064123
  • Account: 10123138

Please email our Finance Team to request a tax-deductible receipt if you choose this method:

Click Here to Email a Request for a Receipt

Can you give a family a home?

What we’re asking

We need suitable houses to provide homes for families who have been cut off from any financial assistance and nearly all kinds of funded support services.

These families are facing destitution. We are asking individuals, businesses, and faith groups from across South-East Queensland to commit to housing a family for at least 12 months.

This is the most significant emerging need for people seeking asylum living in our community.

How it would work

You could make a commitment as a family, a group of friends, work colleagues, a business or as a faith congregation.

You can team up with other congregations, families or businesses to get others involved.

To discuss this further, please contact the ASRA coordinator, Anne Hilton.

Email Anne

 

How Can I Help?

Pay The Rent

You can commit to covering the rent for a family for up to a year. This will allow a family to remain in their present accommodation providing stability and the ability to maintain their support and schooling networks. The cost could be between $250 and $350 per week. Eg. Currently a parish is paying rent for a family of 3.

House Available

Does your church or congregation have a house that is not being used or could be repurposed?
Does someone in your congregation have an extra property they are willing to make available? Eg. A parish refurbished their convent and is accommodating 9 adult women, 3 teenage girls and 2 children.

Buy a House

A feasible model that many faith groups have already undertaken. It can be very affordable as properties can be purchased and a mortgage paid off for not much difference to renting. The benefit is that you can pay off an asset, which can be used over the longer term, for other forms of community housing or other uses for your congretation.

Take Out a Lease

Take out a lease on a property and sub-let to a family in need of a home.

Make a Donation

If you are not in a position to do any of the above cash donations are most welcome as the families need ongoing support.

Resources: Domestic Violence Videos

In May 2016 Communify Qld produced community education videos in 5 languages: Russian, Amharic, Mandarin, Farsi and Bengali, funded through the Queensland Government’s Not Now Not Ever campaign.

Each video (excluding Russian) is produced with English subtitles. Five bilingual presenters in the videos provide information about what is considered to be domestic violence and outline services operating in Logan City, Brisbane and Ipswich.

The videos are being promoted throughout CALD communities and community service, family support, domestic violence service and multicultural service sectors.

Communify Qld hopes the community education videos will bring greater awareness about support and services available to families from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Backgrounds who are experiencing domestic violence.

Communify hopes that the stigma surrounding domestic violence in many communities can be overcome and people who are suffering in silence can be encouraged to speak up and seek support and services in line with the Queensland Government’s 2016 Not Now Not Ever campaign.

Contact

Mandy Cox

Support Coordinator for Community Hubs Australia

0421 662 566

Email Mandy

Paul Schmidt

ASRA Program Coordinator

 0416 043 093

Email Paul