Humanitarian Settlement ServicesRegional profile #10

The Illawarra region, New South Wales

Contents

About the Illawarra region 3

Service provider 4

Accommodation 4

Education 6

Health services 7

Employment opportunities 7

A welcoming community 8

DIAC wishes to express its thanks to Navitas English for compiling this material. While every care has been taken, DIAC makes no guarantees that the information provided is up to date. For further information on the Humanitarian Settlement Services program see: http://www.immi.gov.au/living-in-australia/delivering-assistance/government-programs/settlement-programs/hss.htm

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About the Illawarra regionThe Illawarra Region of New South Wales is situated on the coast immediately south of Sydney. It encompasses the cities of Wollongong, Shellharbour, Shoalhaven and the town of Kiama. Wollongong, 70 km south of Sydney, is the largest city with a population of almost 410 000.

Over the years the Illawarra region has been a welcoming and permanent home for many refugee communities. Wollongong embraces multiculturalism and is home to people from many different cultural backgrounds. After English, the main languages spoken at home are Mandarin, Italian, Greek, Cantonese and Serbian. The population is young and a third are between 15 and 24 years of age.

Communities that have an established presence in the Illawarra region include Burmese, Burundian, Congolese, Togolese, Liberian, Sierra Leonian, Sudanese, Iraqi and Iranian.

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Service providersHumanitarian Settlement Service (HSS) services provided in the region focus on helping refugees to gain access to mainstream services such as Centrelink, Medicare, banks, general and specialist health and medical services, English language tuition, training and employment, in addition to links to the community and community organisations.

Navitas English is the provider in the Illawarra Region that offers services on behalf of the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC). Navitas English works with a consortium that includes Mission Australia and NSW Refugee Health, to deliver services to clients in the first six to 12 months of their settlement in Australia.

The Consortium provides intensive settlement support to newly-arrived refugees, with the aim of assisting them to become self-sufficient as quickly as possible. The assessment process used has a case-management approach to ensure that the services they deliver are based on the needs of each individual.

AccommodationNavitas English are able to provide reasonable short and long-term accommodation for refugees. Short-term accommodation properties are located close to community services, employment, education, public transport and shops.

Navitas English has long-term private residential leases that can be used for short-term accommodation.

As of September 2012, examples of typical rents are:

five bedroom house: approximately $500 per week three bedroom townhouse: approximately $300 per week two bedroom half-house: approximately $380–$410 per week self-service rooms: approximately $510 per week two bedroom cabins: approximately $826–$1540 per week.

Four weeks after the date of their arrival, clients are required to contribute to the rent. Their contribution is up to 40 per cent of family income (excluding rent assistance), or of the fair market rental value of the property (the amount that Navitas English pays in rent), whichever is cheapest. Long-term accommodation is available for refugees, including in suburbs that are near Wollongong’s central business district. Where possible, the accommodation is close to their community contacts.

Examples of long-term accommodation

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Examples of short-term term-accommodation

EducationPre-school, primary, secondary and tertiary education institutions in the region offer services to refugees. Primary and secondary school students are enrolled in schools in the zone closest to their accommodation.

Pre-schoolA number of pre-school places are arranged through the Illawarra College of Technology and Further Education (TAFE) and Lady Gowrie Early Education and Care. TAFE also has a child care centre at the Wollongong campus.

Primary and secondaryAll schools have teachers in English as a Second Language (ESL) who assist students to improve their English skills. In most cases, ESL teachers have language support workers who assist students in communicating in the class room.

High school students are enrolled in intensive English classes where they spend up to four terms, depending on their ability, before moving into the mainstream. The Intensive English Centre, which was established in 1979, has assisted more than 1500 students from non-English-speaking backgrounds. The centre is supported by schools in the district.

TertiaryThe University of Wollongong runs access programs that allow students to undertake degrees of their choice upon successful completion of the access programs. Culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) students undertake courses that depend on their chosen career paths. The most popular courses are nursing, social work, engineering, commerce, accounting, finance, social science and human resources.

TAFE Illawarra has courses and programs to assist students to access employment and tertiary education, including:

the Settlement Pathways to Employment training course English for academic purposes business management, community services, nursing, childcare, aged care and retail.

TAFE also provides Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP) classes at its Wollongong Campus, in Kiama and in rural areas. English courses are based on the national Certificates I, II and III Spoken and Written English (CSWE). Participants can study full-time for 15-20 hours per week over three days, or part-time while working at the same time.

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Other support services provided by TAFE Illawarra to AMEP students include:

interpreters under certain circumstances (for example, trade-testing and course information) advice on the recognition of overseas qualifications learner support to students in Certificate III level courses and higher information on English language programs and culturally specific community services home tutoring distance learning online learning educational and career counselling translation of documents access to computers, the internet, libraries and book stores.

Health ServicesIn the Illawarra region, there are health services which specialise in refugee health, including:

general health assessment immunisation dental health, through community health centres referral to specialist services general health advice.

Wollongong Medical Centre

Employment OpportunitiesThe Illawarra Region has many employment opportunities for HSS clients and a number of organisations provide refugees and migrants with the skills they need to secure work, and assist them to find jobs.

These include:

TAFE Illawarra: the Settlement Pathways to Employment training course. Department of Community Services and Health Services: interpreting for refugees and

accreditation for the recognition of rare languages can be arranged through Centrelink, and Translating and Interpreting Service (TISNational).

Strategic Community Assistance (SCARF) volunteer group: runs ‘Green Connect’ which assists refugees to gain work experience.

Salvation Army Employment Plus, Mission Australia Employment Solution, MBC Employment Services. Many other job network services in the Illawarra region assist refugees to find work by linking them with employers and developing their resumé-writing and interview skills.

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Navitas English and Illawarra Multicultural health services: provide employment to former refugee clients as settlement case workers.

Illawarra nursing homes and asset maintenance provide employment for refugees Wollongong City Council is researching a refugee employment initiative to assist in finding

employment for refugees several security agencies, including Oz Tech Security, Wollongong University and Illawarra

City Security, are able to provide refugees with security training and employment.

Employment services which assist refugees to find work in the Illawarra region include:

Mission Australia employment services Salvation Army Employment Plus MBC employment services Jobfind Centres Australia Quest Employment and Training Solutions Workskills employment services.

A welcoming communityNavitas English works with many groups and organisations in the community that are committed to making new refugee arrivals feel welcome. These include:

Centrelink Multicultural Unit: interpreters and support for refugees. Illawarra Multicultural Services (IMS): support services for refugees for up to five years after

leaving the HSS Program. The assistance provided by IMS includes settlement advice, assessment of overseas qualifications, job seeking, education and training, family and community services, youth services, child care services, immigration applications and advice, advice on services available from government departments, cultural awareness training and student work experience placements.

Strategic Community Assistance to Refugee Families (SCARF): support services for refugees before and after the HSS Program including assistance with home tutoring for primary and high school age students, English literacy and conversation classes, sporting programs and employment opportunities.

St Vincent de Paul: second-hand clothing and welfare support. Smith Family Partnership brokers: support with English home tutoring, literacy program and

mentoring, and financial assistance for education. Anglicare: welfare support. Multicultural Community Council of Illawarra (MCCI): community events and youth services. STARTTS: Torture and Trauma Counselling Service, and the Families in Cultural Transition

Program. Mission Australia: support with employment, English (Language, Literacy and Numeracy

Program) and volunteers. multicultural health: support with health referral and health worker home visits. Warrawong Intensive English Centre: initial education program for high school-age students,

before entering into mainstream education. Wollongong City Council: support with community events and program delivery. family and community services (Brighter Future): support for vulnerable children and their

families. established Burmese community: support in entering into the wider community, and provision

of ongoing support. Burundian/Congolese Community: support with initial community orientation and provision of

ongoing social support. housing for women: support through Housing NSW.

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