Catholic groups fight to help freed refugees in Brisbane community

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Needy: Refugees and asylum seekers, including families with children, have been released from community detention through transitional visas.

CHURCH groups in Brisbane are scrambling to support more than 100 refugees and asylum seekers released into the community in recent weeks.

Refugees and asylum seekers, including families with children, have been released from community detention through transitional visas.

Rebecca Lim, a Catholic refugee activist, said the people were living in community detention around Brisbane in houses rented by the federal government.

“They had social workers, (the government) gave them very limited income support and they had a curfew,” Ms. Lim said.

Now they have to fend for themselves in the midst of a coronavirus pandemic.

They are covered by Medicare and have the right to work.

“People over the age of 18 cannot study or take training, they have no housing, they do not have social assistance and they do not have income assistance,” said Ms. Lim.

“So the situation is this, the community and individuals, we are doing our best to help people find homes, provide income support, find jobs.

“Many (of them) are unable to perform physical labor due to their unmet health needs and all their detentions on land and abroad… They are from Nauru and Papua New Guinea.

Ms. Lim said those released from community detention had no history of hiring and no history of employment because they had been detained overseas and in the community without labor rights.

“So suddenly they have to find a house when they don’t have a rental history; they have to find a job when they have no work history; and they don’t have any training – they can’t get training on this type of transitional visa on departure, ”she said.

The federal government released them from community detention on the last departure. Transition visas E.

This applies to people who “have come to Australia for medical treatment from a regional treatment country and have not returned”.

A spokesperson for the Home Office said the visa allowed individuals to temporarily live in the community “while they finalize their arrangements to leave Australia”.

“Government policy is clear: no one who attempts to travel illegally by sea to Australia will be permanently settled here,” the spokesperson said.

Ms Lim said some of those released from community detention were “unfit for work for the foreseeable future because they became so ill from indefinite and prolonged detention and then inadequate health care overseas.” .

“And where are the jobs (for others)? They have all the rights to work, but where are the jobs? ” she said.

The St Vincent de Paul Society Queensland provides emergency assistance in the form of vouchers for food, gasoline and household items to help those released from community detention.

“People affected by the recent changes are referred via our free call 1800 VINNIES (1800 846 643 menu option 1) and connected to our trained and experienced virtual assessment team,” said a spokesperson for Vinnies.

“Social visits are also coordinated by local Vincentians to further assist individuals and families in times of need. “

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