More than a roof: A home gives hope to rebuild

As we enter the final month of a bitter winter, it is fitting that we mark Homelessness Week, a time to raise awareness of the impact and strive for solutions to end homelessness.

In the lead up to Homelessness Week 2024, there’s been plenty of attention on the twin housing and cost of living crises. But those most at risk of falling into the ever widening cracks in the system are often ignored.

Locked out of a safety net and locked into a failed system, many people seeking asylum are now facing unprecedented destitution and homelessness. At the Asylum Seekers Centre (ASC), we’re seeing a steep increase in the number of people living in temporary, overcrowded accommodation, as well as many cases of people sleeping rough.

The number of people seeking asylum experiencing homelessness more than doubled between the first and second half of 2023 and this trend is continuing in 2024, with an average of more than two crisis referrals per week for people experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness.

For people seeking asylum, stable housing means much more than a roof. It offers safety, security, and the ability to access other vital services and properly engage in the protection application process.

Locked out of a safety net

People seeking asylum are left with no safety net as conditions worsen and public policy choices continue to bite.

They have no access to public housing or most transitional housing, with limited access to homelessness services.

The flawed and dwindling Status Resolution Support Services (SRSS) program provides income support for only around 2 percent of people seeking asylum, and many are on temporary visas without work rights.

And with poor or no housing having serious mental and physical health implications,  Medicare access fluctuates with the requirement to apply for a new Medicare card every time a visa is renewed.

A chance to rebuild 

For Aamira*, housing stability had an outsized impact, allowing her to focus on her application for protection and start to rebuild her life.

A single mother to her son, Aamira was sleeping rough after arriving in Australia.

But Aamira’s story is one with a rare, but positive outcome – one that shows how the system could work to support people seeking asylum and address the unique challenges they face.

Aamira came to the ASC mere days before Christmas last year and ASC’s Intensive Support Caseworkers were able to find and secure temporary accommodation for her in a refuge. She has since secured a casual job, and her son is in school and doing well.

She says the ASC’s support had an immediate impact on her wellbeing and mental state. “Right from the first day I stepped foot in this building, it was positive vibes,” Aamira says.

“Marina [my caseworker] took me to the bank, she taught me how to cross the road. I slept in the train station with my child the night before, and she told me that day you will not sleep on the street tonight.”

Marina Camarão, an Intensive Support Caseworker at the ASC, works closely with people seeking asylum in crisis situations, including those experiencing homelessness.

In more than three years working with some of the most acute cases at the ASC, Marina has seen enough to write a book, but Aamira’s story has stuck with her.

“She had just arrived in Australia and her trauma was clear. She hoped that she had found the safety she wished for, but was sleeping rough and with very little access to food. The stress made her shiver on a sweltering day and she said that she felt cold inside. She urgently needed help,” Marina says.

“With time running out before the Christmas break, it was definitely a challenging situation, knowing the limitations on what people seeking asylum can access. Thankfully, we secured accommodation with an organisation, which had a significant impact in her life.

“More than six months on and she’s in a much better place, now able to focus on her protection application and building a new life in Australia with her son. It’s a powerful reminder that a stable home gives hope to rebuild.”

The ASC is advocating for urgent policy change to address the destitution and homelessness crisis for people seeking asylum. This includes treating a crisis like a crisis as has been done before with the model rolled out during COVID lockdowns where homelessness was viewed as a public health issue and resources were made available through goodwill and critical thinking. 

We’re also calling for the criteria for access to emergency and temporary accommodation to be reframed around the degree of need rather than visa status, more culturally appropriate and trauma-informed care, and increased training around the unique circumstances of people seeking asylum.