This week we celebrate Refugee Week.
Refugee Week is an opportunity to celebrate the positive contributions made by refugees in our community.
It’s also an opportunity to learn about the ways we can support refugees in our community.
The 2022 theme is healing, which serves as a reminder of the importance of human connections.
Mainstream and refugee communities alike can draw upon shared hardship to heal wounds, to learn from each other and to move forward.
Healing can occur through storytelling, community and realisation of our intrinsic interconnectedness as individuals.
We sat down with Gop Gai, Regional Manager of the Australian Red Cross Humanitarian Settlement Program to learn how the Red Cross supports refugees in our community.
What does the Red Cross do?
Australian Red Cross plays a critical role in building safe, fair, welcoming, and inclusive communities for migrants, refugees and people seeking asylum by ensuring they are protected from harm, can meet their humanitarian needs and have pathways to safe and dignified work.
As a trusted humanitarian organisation, we also support local communities and businesses to meaningfully welcome migrants, refugees and people seeking asylum across the country. We
- support people who have lost contact with family members due to conflict, disaster or migration
- conduct independent humanitarian monitoring visits to places of immigration detention across Australia
- support newly arrived refugees and humanitarian entrants in their settlement journey through the Humanitarian Settlement Program (in Western Australia, the ACT, and southern New South Wales)
- help to increase pathways to safe, dignified work for refugees.
We also engage with schools, communities, and workplaces across Australia to build their capacities to welcome newly arrived migrants and refugees through a range of initiatives and programs.
How does the Red Cross support refugees in the community?
Australian Red Cross is contracted by the Department of Home Affairs to deliver the Australian Government’s Humanitarian Settlement Program (HSP) in the ACT.
We support newly arrived refugees and humanitarian entrants to integrate into life in Canberra.
Red Cross does this by helping them build the skills and knowledge they need to become self-reliant and active members of the community.
Red Cross case managers, volunteers and bilingual staff provide settlement support to refugees. This might include
- meeting and orienting people on arrival to Australia
- sourcing short term and long-term accommodation
- enrolling children into schools
- supporting refugees to establish links and connections in their local communities.
We also support refugees to gain employment and to access education and training.
We work closely with other service providers to provide coordinated support to enable a successful settlement journey for newly arrived refugees.
Currently, we are supporting refugees from Myanmar, Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Iran, Democratic Republic of Congo and those deemed Stateless.
How can the community support Australian Red Cross to help refugees?
Due to the current housing affordability crisis, it is taking much longer to source long term housing for our families.
We are calling on members of the public to help us find suitable housing for our families to call home.
If you are a private landlord or real estate agent, please contact us by emailing Housing_Canberra@redcross.org.au
As the cost of living continues to increase, the impact is great on our families, to help alleviate these financial pressures we are asking for food donations. Donations can be dropped off at our office, Red Cross House, Level 1, 3 Dann Close in Garran.
We also accept gift card donations through GIVIT.
All donations are provided directly to impacted families.
We also strongly encourage financial donations to help us provide the essentials newly arrived refugees need to get back on their feet.
If you would like to donate you can head to Australian Red Cross website
.
Page updated: 22 Jun 2022
Supporting refugees in the local community - Community Services Directorate
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