Helping hand needed
Bass Coast Refugee Sponsorship Group is calling for community support, to help settle a refugee family from Syria in Bass Coast.
The Bass Coast Refugee Sponsorship Group is calling for community support, to help settle a refugee family from Syria in Bass Coast.
The Bass Coast Refugee Sponsorship Group (BCRSG) has sponsored the Al Habra family – parents with three children aged six, 11 and 12.
The family arrive this month and the group has been busy preparing for their arrival, organising transport, clothing, medical appointments, bank accounts and everything else you need to start from scratch in a country where you speak almost none of the local language.
“Our biggest hurdle is accommodation,” said RCRSG spokesperson Deb Leonard.
“Obviously there is a housing crisis across the country, and Bass Coast is no exception. The family will be in receipt of Centrelink for the immediate future, and we do not know what the earning capacity of the parents will be once they are settled.
“Ideally, the family needs a three plus bedroom home, close to public transport/schools/shops, for under $450 per week. A big ask, I know!”
Ms Leonard said a home in the Wonthaggi area would be the most suitable, allowing group members to support the family.
“One of the very kind and generous members of the group offered to take the family into her home when they arrived, until more appropriate accommodation can be found.
“But this is a temporary solution only. We want to find the family somewhere they can live autonomously and settle into a space that is their own.”
Ms Leonard said if anyone had connections or suggestions for available accommodation, or even short-term rental, they should contact BCRSG.
Anyone would who like to donate funds to help support the family, can do so via a Shout for Good page: shoutforgood.com/fundraisers/bcrsg
Donations are tax deductable.
