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At the Asylum Seekers Centre, we see every day how small acts of welcome and a wraparound approach to support can create life-changing moments.
Our staff and volunteers experience this joy every day. Now we want to share it with our supporters.
Today, we’re launching Welcome Wins, a new impact series sharing the stories of people seeking asylum who have found safety, stability, and hope with the support of our community.
These stories exist because of you: our supporters, donors, volunteers, and partners who show time and time again how powerful welcome is.
To kick off the Welcome Wins series, we’re sharing Izaak’s* story.
“The only way out was to come to the Asylum Seekers Centre”
When Izaak fled persecution in his home country, he arrived in Australia alone, uncertain, and carrying only the small savings he’d been able to gather. Within weeks, the money was gone. He found himself bouncing between shelters and soon faced the very real possibility of sleeping rough on the streets.
That’s when he came to the Asylum Seekers Centre.
“The first time I came into the country I was staying in a hotel, and I was stranded looking for a way out. The only way out was to come to the Asylum Seekers Centre and move forward and find a way to find the system here,” says Izaak.
Our casework team stepped in immediately. They booked him a safe place to stay that night, and the next morning they registered him as a client. From there, our complex casework team, community participation team, and employment service worked together to wrap the right support around him.
Stability, safety, and support one step at a time
Because Izaak wouldn’t receive his bridging visa or work rights for another two months, the first priority was stabilising his basic needs.
Our casework team provided Izaak with three weeks of hostel accommodation close to the Centre so he could access our hot lunches, a topped-up Opal card, a phone and laptop, essential hygiene items, and new clothes through our partnership with Thread Together. We also provided Izaak with weekly financial assistance so he could meet his basic needs.
To support his wellbeing, Izaak was given mental health resources and had regular check-ins with his caseworker Keelin.
Izaak explains the impact of this immediate support, saying “the staff were all good to me and gave me the best service and the way they guided me. My caseworker Keelin gave me the best guidance and I am really happy meeting them.”
Finding belonging and a new community
Beyond material support, connection and community were just as important for Izaak’s wellbeing.
Our community participation team connected Izaak with a local gym for free sessions, football teams so he could reconnect with a sport he loves, community excursions including visits to the Art Gallery of NSW and NAIDOC Week events, and regular support from The Salvation Army and Newtown Mission.
Slowly, Izaak built a network of support and a community that welcomed him in.
“The experience I have with them… I found a home in Australia,” says Izaak.
“It was as if I found a new family.”
He also visited the Asylum Seekers Centre regularly for a nutritious hot meal, conversation, and a place where questions were always met with support.
“I was directed places for food, I came to the Centre to eat lunch, and I find it easy to ask them questions.”
Looking forward to study, work, and a new life
Now that his work rights have been granted, Izaak is receiving support from our employment team and has landed a full-time job, which has helped him to secure stable housing.
He hopes to study and build a stable, fulfilling life here in Australia, and he’s on that path thanks to a community that chose to walk alongside him.
Why Welcome Wins matters
Every welcome win is made possible by people like you who believe in compassion, dignity, and opportunity. By sharing these stories, we hope to show the real impact of choosing welcome and supporting the Asylum Seekers Centre. It’s this kind of impact that helps someone like Izaak feel safe, connected, and hopeful about the future.
* Name changed for privacy
