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“I deserve to live, but at the same time, I don’t wanna be a burden.”
Izzy shares this truth she lived with for years while seeking asylum in Australia.
It shaped how she moved through the world: when she asked for help, when she stayed silent, and how much space she felt allowed to take.
It reflects the tension many people seeking asylum carry every day – resilience intertwined with fear, gratitude mixed with self-doubt, and a constant effort to belong without asking for too much.
Today, Izzy has been granted refugee status. But the journey of rebuilding also meant navigating systems that didn’t always feel welcoming.
Searching for support
When the horrors of living in her home country became unbearable, Izzy sought asylum in Australia. She had no work rights or study rights. With no income and access to healthcare, Izzy was left largely to survive on her own.
When she tried to seek support from another organisation, the door was shut.
“Because I didn’t work at all, they couldn’t help me,” Izzy says.
For Izzy, asking for help was never simple. It also meant retelling deeply painful experiences she was trying to heal from.
“You have to relive your trauma so they can help you,” she explains. “I didn’t want to relive those moments, but I felt like I had to.”
Compassion and dignity
Izzy first heard about the Asylum Seekers Centre in 2016 while applying for a protection visa.
She didn’t reach out immediately. She worried about other refugees with families or in more precarious situations.
“So many other people are more important for the Asylum Seekers Centre to help.
“I don’t want to be a burden.”
She adds, “I speak English fluently. I can advocate for myself, and it was still this hard. So I think about people who can’t.”
But when the weight of serious health issues became too heavy to carry alone, Izzy reached out to the Asylum Seekers Centre.
“I had to get a cyst drained because it was very, very painful. And I really didn’t know what else to do. It would be impossible to afford.”
From her first contact with the Asylum Seekers Centre, Izzy remembers feeling welcomed.
“Everyone was friendly and very accommodating. They answered all my questions.”
The team in the Asylum Seekers Centre’s on-site health clinic acted quickly, ensuring Izzy received the care she urgently needed.
The support didn’t stop there.
Izzy received follow-up appointments, medication, flu and COVID vaccinations, and assessments for chronic knee pain.
This consistent, compassionate care gave Izzy stability.
Wrap-around support
Through the Asylum Seekers Centre, Izzy also accessed Opal top-ups, food support, counselling referrals, and practical everyday help.
It made daily life possible while she was living without Medicare, work rights or study rights.
“Until today, I’m just so grateful. I wouldn’t have been able to do it on my own.”
Community and giving back
Now a permanent resident, Izzy is building the future she imagined during years of limbo.
She’s launching a photography business, working as a barista, and planning to study disability, youth, and aged care.
She also plans to give back to her choir, who provided critical support and community in addition to the Asylum Seekers Centre.
“I want to be able to give back and help those communities that have helped me get to where I am today.”
“My life feels like it’s just about to start,” she says.
“That’s okay — I’m ready.”
Izzy’s story is part of Welcome Wins, the Asylum Seekers Centre’s impact series highlighting how small acts of welcome, access to essential services, and community can be life-changing for people seeking asylum. It is made possible by people like you who believe in compassion, dignity, and opportunity.
