Supporting Refugees and Migrants Through Practical Partnerships

In my last statement I wanted to shed some light on the work St Vincent de Paul Society Canberra/Goulburn does in support of the refugee and migrant community in our region and our policy recommendations for the attention of the Australian Government. This month I want to focus on the importance of doing this work in partnership with others in the community to support these people.

The Society has built its model of support around practical solutions.

We run an emergency helpline so we can be directly contacted by vulnerable or at-risk members of our community who need support.

We have dozens of volunteer-based groups of members, such as our Caritas Christi Conference, who offer compassionate, practical support and social contact to individuals and families of migrant, refugee and asylum-seeking backgrounds.

We run support programs for children to help with their learning and we help families adjust to their new communities.

But we can’t do it alone.

Our Social Justice Advocacy Strategy sets out our partnership approach : We believe there are enough resources within our communities, both financial and human, to address the social and systemic lapses that have resulted in injustices among us.  We seek to be part of initiatives that proactively strengthen the civic sector. We seek to be part of coalitions and movements that drive policy reforms.

We are working to build meaningful partnerships with community and corporate organisations to address the escalating financial and social needs in our society.  

An example of our constructive partnerships was recently featured in the Canberra Times, about our work with Canberra Refugee Support and Companion House, you can read the article here.

Recently, we teamed up with national restaurant chain Grill’d locally in Canberra to raise funds from several public events to support our Migrant and Refugee Program in Schools. The Trivia Night raised much needed funds that will enable us to continue such support for children from migrant, refugee, and asylum-seeking backgrounds within the ACT.

Thanks to Grill’d for the wonderful support which also includes free monthly meals for those experiencing homelessness in a welcoming and respectful environment.

You may have noticed that in the 2023 Federal Budget, there is little indication in terms of policy and funding for programmes that support people of migrant, refugee, and asylum-seeking backgrounds. The obvious implication is that community sector organisations such as ours will continue to provide the basic level of support and emergency relief to this cohort until such a time that the much-needed Federal level support and reforms kick in.

The St Vincent de Paul Society continues to engage both at the National and State and Territory level on these issues and I encourage you to lend your support by raising these issues with your Members of the Legislative Assembly and Members of Parliament when you can, as the policy solutions they create have a direct impact on those who come to us for daily support.

“Finding Freedom” is the theme for this year’s Refugee Week, and I personally extend my heart felt thanks to our members and volunteers whose commitment to our work enables us to keep in contact with our community and to be the hand of support that St Vincent de Paul Society Canberra/Goulburn has become known for.

If you would like to join our team of volunteers or explore ways your organisation can work with us in this space, please do get in touch with us at volunteer.cg@vinnies.org.au

Lucy Hohnen
CEO, St Vincent de Paul Society Canberra/Goulburn