More support is needed to ensure refugees and new migrants to Griffith settle in and make connections with the community says Griffith volunteer service.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Carmel La Rocca, president of the Multicultural Council of Griffith (MCOG) says they have been the first point of contact for many new migrants and support for refugees for nearly 30 years but they receive minimal support from Griffith City Council.
"Local government has the widest reach into the community so if it doesn't support and listen to the community, then we struggle," Mrs La Rocca said.
The MCOG is responsible for coordinating and organising Griffith's hugely successful Multicultural Festival as well as Harmony Day events, which they do entirely with the help of their volunteers.
Mrs La Rocca explained that settling to a new town, especially if English is not your first language, can be challenging.
Factors such as mental health issues, housing, transport, language barriers and visa status can all hinder new migrants and refugees from wanting to put down long term routes in a community.
"There are a lot of lonely people in the multicultural community in Griffith," Mrs La Rocca said.
"When they come to a new town like Griffith they can find it quite difficult to connect.
"We make links with the different cultural groups and help them to make their own community committees which we then stay connected with through our monthly meetings."
Through their volunteer run office in Crystal Arcade, MCOG assists people with visa paperwork, English language support, sourcing and applying for housing and jobs, navigating public transport and referring them on to specialist services in Griffith.
"I help a lot with reading and writing in English for people," Litia Kosi, who has been a volunteer at MCOG for three years said.
"We get a lot of people who need help with forms for immigration and government departments and I've been a Justice of the Peace for 30 years so I help with that too."
Griffith City Council's economic and organisational development director Shireen Donaldson said that council are involved with a number of state and regional networks and advisory groups but did not specify in what capacity these groups directly contribute here in Griffith.
The Area News asked Mrs Donaldson how Council keeps track of the numbers of migrants and refugees in the community and their unique needs.
"It is widely acknowledged that is difficult to maintain numbers of refugees and migrants who settle in Griffith as people arrive on their own methods and may choose not to engage directly with agencies or council.
"Those people arriving under the Humanitarian Settlement Program (HSP) are directed to local settlement support services."
MORE NEWS
Kat is a former English teacher to international students and has taught all over the world. She is beginning a new career as a journalist with the Area News. Got something you want to chat about? She's all ears.
Kat is a former English teacher to international students and has taught all over the world. She is beginning a new career as a journalist with the Area News. Got something you want to chat about? She's all ears.
