Connection and advocacy at the Asylum Seekers Centre

Connection and advocacy at the Asylum Seekers Centre

At the Asylum Seekers Centre, we do more than meet people’s immediate needs. 

While providing food, healthcare, and basic support is vital, it’s the power of connection and advocacy—personal, community, and systemic—that drives change. 

These moments of dedication and understanding are the foundation of our advocacy work.

Understanding the challenges

People seeking asylum often arrive at the Asylum Seekers Centre carrying stories of trauma, displacement, and incredible resilience. These stories may stay hidden until someone feels safe enough to open up.

Daan Hartog, one of our Complex Caseworkers, shares, “Many of these stories are hidden behind generous smiles, too delicate to be shared until they feel safe.” 

Building that trust is the first step—but what comes next is just as critical.

What direct advocacy looks like

At the Asylum Seekers Centre, direct advocacy is a personalised, strategic, case-by-case approach to supporting people seeking asylum. Every situation is different. It requires problem-solving and unique solutions to ensure no one falls through the cracks.

Daan explains, “Direct advocacy ensures that the person seeking asylum’s needs and rights are recognised and met by helping them navigate complex systems.” 

“For example, if someone seeking asylum is struggling to access legal representation or social services, I would directly contact the organisations involved, explaining the individual’s situation, and advocating for them to access the necessary resources or assistance.”

Collaboration and coordinated care

Advocacy doesn’t happen in isolation. It depends on building a coordinated system of care.

“We collaborate with legal aid organisations to ensure people seeking asylum have proper legal representation, with mental health and counselling services for trauma support, and with homelessness and domestic and family violence services for urgent housing support.”

While the Asylum Seekers Centre connects people seeking asylum with those crucial services, they are also able to get the critical support in healthcare, childcare, employment, education, community engagement, and more through the Centre’s services.

Sabrina’s story

Sabrina*, who arrived in Australia in 2013 with her three children after fleeing a violent relationship, is one example of the impact this work can have. 

When she came to the Asylum Seekers Centre, she had no legal support and urgently needed a safe place to stay.

Daan shares, “In the face of such instability, those first few weeks of safety were crucial. For women like Sabrina, finding refuge can be incredibly challenging.”

“Women’s refuges are overwhelmed, and stable housing is often out of reach for those on temporary visas. Without support, these families are left with nowhere to turn.”

Thanks to swift action by the Client Support Services team, Sabrina and her children were placed in crisis accommodation and eventually found a stable safe space for them, 

Legal support was also a turning point for Sabrina, helping her not just with her visa, but also in breaking the isolation she had felt. 

Later, Sabrina shared her gratitude with Daan, saying she would never forget the support she received.

Daan says, “It’s a privilege to work with women like her, who display such incredible resilience and strength despite everything they’ve endured. I’m sure I will never forget her either!”

What the community can do

To make advocacy more effective, Daan says we need more understanding.

“Beyond providing resources, raising sector-broad awareness about the experiences and needs of people seeking asylum is key, and education is absolutely necessary.” 

“It still surprises me when a good willing NSW Health hospital worker contacts us for advice on what to do with this person on a temporary visa. It seems that general knowledge (or lack thereof) of people seeking asylum is severely lacking, not just in healthcare but in other public services as well.”

Supporters can play a vital role, too—by listening, learning, sharing stories, and advocating for fairer systems. 

Even small actions, like starting a conversation, attending information sessions, or contacting your local representative, all help build a more informed and compassionate community.

*Name changed for privacy.

Interested in how you can help the community?

Visit our How You Can Help page.

You can also make a tax-deductible donation that helps us provide crucial services and catch people seeking asylum who have fallen through the cracks of a broken system.

Donate now