The COVID-19 pandemic has been hard on everyone – some more than others.
Culturally and linguistically diverse communities have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic, so it’s really important to make sure they know about and can get support, where it is available.
Many people seeking asylum in our country receive little or no income support, making it hard to make ends meet.
Our multicultural programs and services help people find housing and put food on the table.
Before COVID-19, people could access food from our Asylum Seeker Welcome Centre (ASWC).
During lockdowns, food hampers were delivered to people’s homes.
Aylin* is a single mum who reached out to our ASWC last year. She was looking for ways for her and her children to meet new people and make friends. She also asked us for food and toiletries, as she was having difficulty affording the basics.
Aylin is studying for an aged care certificate so she can get a job in the future to provide for her family.
Our team spoke to Aylin on the phone to go over her food needs each week.
The phone calls provided some much-need human contact and we were able to provide her with food that she was familiar with, given her cultural background.
“The (ASWC) staff are so supportive,” says Aylin.
“It’s been a struggle. We don’t have a lot of (financial) support to get by.
“Being able to access food is a big help. And the (ASWC) have given me the chance to access food that we like to eat, which is really nice.”
*This is a true story about a real person. Some details such as names have been changed to respect the wishes of the person featured. The photo accompanying this story is for illustrative purposes only. It is not a photo of the person featured in this story.
