Supporting the settlement of refugees in our national capital
Canberra Refugee Support is a volunteer organisation that provides practical good neighbour support to asylum seekers and refugees in the ACT.
Our Aim
Our aim is to assist asylum seekers and refugees to become engaged, independent and accepted in the local Canberra community as soon as possible. This is sometimes difficult for people who are living with the uncertainty of a temporary visa and for people who are denied the right to work. We offer support for them to build towards an active and fulfilling life.
Please show your support by becoming a member. You can be an active member and be involved as much or as little as you like, or you can simply show your support by becoming a financial member.
Who are we?
All members of CRS are volunteers. We come from all walks of life and circumstances. The common thread is that we care about other people and want to help them to establish themselves in our community.
We are a not-for-profit organisation. We do not have an office or employees so our overheads are low and are covered by membership fees. This means that all donated funds go directly to assisting the asylum seekers sand refugees we support.
We work with a wide range of refugee stakeholders .
CRS is:
- Incorporated in the ACT and is therefore publicly accountable.
- A member organisation of the Refugee Council of Australia and of the ACT Council of Social Services.
- Recognised by the Australian Tax Office as a charitable organisation and donations are tax deductible. We are not funded by government but we do raise funds to help asylum seekers and refugees.
- A Registered Charity with the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission.
What do we do?
In order to provide support to refugees and asylum seekers in Canberra, CRS:
- provides practical support and links with other services to assist with accommodation, furniture, local services, schooling, English language training, health care, jobs and networking in the Canberra community.
- assists refugees and asylum seekers to access services they are entitled to
- facilitates contact with policy makers and their advisors so that we can improve the level of equity and access for asylum seekers and refugees.
- assists others to connect with refugees. This includes fostering activities such as refugee scholarships and refugee mentoring programs.
- contributes to the provision of some stability and security for this vulnerable group of people who have often experienced trauma and may still be facing uncertain futures.
- supports refugees financially where we can.
Each year we provide thousands of hours supporting refugees. In recent years we have provided tens of thousands of dollars each year to assist many asylum seekers, refugees, or former refugees in Canberra who have needed help to cover rent and other essential living expenses. Most of that money is donated from members of the Canberra community and some from other parts of Australia. We do not receive any government program funding.