A SMALL country Queensland group is making big efforts to welcome the stranger – creating homestays for refugees and asylum seekers, and successfully pressing a local government to declare their region a refugee welcome zone.
In Warwick, the Southern Downs Refugee and Migrant Network with about 20 members has partnered with the Romero Centre in Brisbane to set up an innovative homestay project that offers some of the country’s most vulnerable refugees a place to escape for the weekend.
“It’s a way of saying we welcome you, we care, and we wish that Australia could offer you a permanent home,” homestays organiser Emma Yates said.
“We’ve had some families with kids who have come out during the school holidays and they have loved it.”
The homestay project provides welcome respite for refugees and asylum seekers, on temporary protection visas, who often live in crowded, stressful and uncertain living situations.
Ms Yates said it offered refugees a chance to go bush walking, swim, pat a horse, ride a quad bike, and share a family meal in quiet surroundings.
“Their lives are so in limbo and their lives must be in constant anxiety about what will happen next,” she said.
Even though Warwick only has a small number of refugee visitors, it is one of many Queensland towns grappling with its future and trying to build stronger multicultural networks.
Nearby Toowoomba has a large and growing refugee population and there’s high recognition that refugees are often highly skilled and have much to offer a community,
The Southern Downs is the latest regional council to commit in spirit to welcoming refugees into the community, upholding the human rights of refugees, demonstrating compassion for refugees and enhancing cultural and religious diversity in the community.
“Our region has a long history of migrant settlement which has led to our region’s tapestry of diverse and progressive culture, and we have always whole-heartedly welcomed people of all backgrounds to the Southern Downs,” Mayor Vic Pennisi said.
“In the spirit of inclusiveness across all community groups, we are proud to share our region and support the men, women and children who make the journey to Australia to seek our protection and start a new life here.”
Southern Downs will official sign on as a Refugee Welcome Zone (RWZ) on May 12 adding to the list of other Queensland regions that have already done so: Diamantina Shire Council, Flinders Shire Council, Ipswich City Council, Logan City Council, Mackay Regional Council, Toowoomba Regional Council and Townsville City Council.
Ms Yates said she and husband Steve were long-time supporters of the Romero Centre and had become ambassadors for Romero’s regular giving program – One in a Thousand.
“We love that Romero is both responsive and proactive to the needs of people seeking asylum,” Mr Yates said.
‘The work Romero does has a flow on effect to our community – helping our migrant community means a better future for us all.
‘As people of faith, we believe you need to welcome the stranger and care for the widow, break down the barriers and work for justice and peace.”
You can find out more here about the Romero Centre’s giving program that provides housing, mental health services, legal services, as well as inclusive and emergency relief programs.
The Romero Centre was established in 2000 in response to the needs of people arriving in Australia seeking safety and human rights. In December 2003, the Romero Centre came under the care of The Sisters of Mercy.
