What we do
Settlement Services and Programs
The Settlement Team at WCC provide a comprehensive
range of programs and services supporting Whittlesea’s
newly arrived migrants and refugees. A majority of
our clients and service users are refugee/protection
visa holders and a smaller number are from family visa
streams.
Settlement Grants Program
Emerging trends and issues for newly arrived refugees
included:
Housing access, affordability and difficulty
maintaining tenancies;
Financial impacts of rising utilities costs, negotiating
with utilities companies, debt relief;
Managing mental health issues, stress, depression,
anxiety and coupled with poor physical health;
Costs of pursuing education and training including
school costs, tertiary fees and vocational education;
Impacts of separation and family violence, assistance
to access rights and options;
Increased rate of disclosure of family violence by
clients allowing us to offer greater assistance;
Migration related issues, family reunion, confusion
regarding many changes to migration law;
Access to driving support/lessons, affordability;
Lack of practical assistance to obtain work, lack of
workplace experience;
Asylum seekers ineligible for many essential
Highlight of the year:
It was lovely to see the beaming faces of some of our
clients who came in to introduce their partner and
children. The families were able to reunify at last with the
assistance of our migration support. They are now able
to relax and settle properly knowing they are all safe and
they can finally be together again.
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Challenge of the year
Seeing the transformation in people over
time- once they have the help they need to
overcome difficulties –to see them growth
in confidence and capacity is heartening.
For the people who have come through the
offshore program, who had an opportunity
receive support and assistance you can see
that they a