Settlement Services

Settling in to a new country, community and home is a different experience for everyone. The journey from arrival to feeling settled and part of the community can be very challenging. ARA provides many different services and works with individuals and families to assist them with their specific needs. We have many different programs to assist any refugees, asylum seekers or people of concern settling in South Australia.

ARA’s settlement team offers assistance to clients in the following ways:

Casework
ARA has 13 caseworkers, from a range of cultural backgrounds, who are able to assist with settlement issues. A caseworker can assist with:

• Iinformation on how and which services can help you
• Support with connecting to other services
• Basic legal advice and referrals to legal services if appropriate
• Advocating for your rights
• Some one to talk to about your concerns and needs
• Practical assistance can include taking you to a first appointment and helping you work out which bus route to take.

Casework is provided throughout the metropolitan area – at ARA (Underdale), by visiting a person’s home or through ARA’s  outreach posts in Rostrevor, Cowandilla and Ingle Farm. Contact ARA for times and addresses.

Help Office
Staff and trained volunteers provide general assistance, information and referrals. Assistance can include advice, information and referrals to specialist services as well as providing material and financial help, budget advice, help to fill out forms and a sympathetic ear! The service operates Monday to Friday from 9.30am to 4.30pm.  Appointments are not necessary. See below for Financial Assistance, Household Formation Support and Refugee Travel Assistance - these services can be accessed through the Help Desk.

Free Internet, Computer Services & International Library
ARA provides a computer room with three computers which includes free Internet access and printing for clients. Computers can be booked at reception on 8354 2951 or just drop in during business hours.

A library of books in various languages can be borrowed free of charge.

Accommodation Support
ARA has Accommodation Support Workers available who can help you:

• Look for suitable private rental properties and apply for them (up to 3 houses)
• Get assistance from Housing SA to cover your bond
• Contact agents or landlords you are having problems with
• Understand your rights and responsibilities as a tenant
• Apply for accommodation with Community Housing Associations
• Find services that might be able to provide emergency accommodation

The Accommodation Support Workers also organise workshops on different topics that give you skills and information about housing. Topics include:

• How to house hunt
• How to be a good tenant
• How to make house sharing a success
• Public housing options

A certificate of attendance is given to workshop participants.

Parenting programs
The “Incredible Years” Parenting Program is a joint project run by ARA, CAMHS and Families SA: Refugee Services. The Program objectives focus on strengthening parent competencies, fostering parent’s involvement with school, decreasing children’s problem behaviors, strengthening children’s social and academic competencies, and building supportive family networks. This pilot delivery of the program with women from African backgrounds involved important parenting strategies such as praising, encouraging, supporting, listening, rewarding, valuing, playing with children and having fun while doing it. It also addressed approaches in setting limits and dealing with challenging behaviors. The most important message the participants gave back through the evaluation sessions was that they felt the program provided them with easy to use principles that encouraged problem solving strategies, limit setting skills, praise and reward benefits and confidence in the application of the Parenting Pyramid strategies.  It was unanimous that the Incredible Years Program was viewed as a ‘positive’, ‘very important’, ‘valuable’ course that MUST be repeated or continued for other parents, especially for refugee women.

Homework Clubs
For students aged 12 – 18 years from refugee backgrounds, are located at various sites.  Volunteers donate their time as tutors and mentors for these young people, assisting them with their schoolwork, general English literacy, and just getting a general understanding of the Australian culture.
Homework Clubs are fun, social places for students to come after school – to meet up with other students, meet other Australians, and sit down and do some serious study!

• Greenacres Library:  Mondays 4 – 6pm, 2 Fosters Road, Greenacres
• Woodville Youth Central: Tuesdays 4 – 6pm, 65 Woodville Road,
• Salisbury Youth Centre: Tuesdays  4 – 6pm, 17 – 19 Wiltshire Street, Salisbury
• Woodville Youth Central: Wednesdays 4 – 6pm, 65 Woodville Road, Woodville
• Findon Library: Thursdays 4 – 6pm, Corner Findon and Grange Roads, Findon

African Women’s Federation Workers
ARA & the AWF have a managed grant from DIAC (Settlement Grant Program-SGP) to employ two workers to provide casework and training sessions that lead to employment and education pathways. The workers use ARA as a base for their work and can be contacted at ARA. The AWF aims to assist all African Women and their families.

Sudanese Community Association Worker’s
ARA & the SCA have a managed grant from DIAC (SGP) to employ two Sudanese workers to assist the Sudanese community with casework and integration programs and support. The turmoil in Sudan and the current crisis in Darfur has led to a great influx of refugees from this area of the world. This is vitally important in enabling new arrivals to maintain some of their cultural traditions in community with others from similar backgrounds.

Community Support Programs
This programs utilise a network of trained volunteers who support newly arrived refugees. Volunteers regularly visit families to offer friendship, provide information about the local community, help people practice conversational English and to assist children with homework. Volunteers are required to undertake Police Checks - which are free -and training.

Speak Up
The Speak Up Refugee Youth Participation Project aims to empower young people to share their experiences, stories, needs, ideas and opinions. It involves a focus group for young people aged 16-25 years from refugee backgrounds. The meetings are open, fun and don’t involve formal meeting procedures with lots of expressive activities, such as dance, music or art to help young people voice their ideas. Speak Up challenges young people to not only identify their settlement needs, but to brainstorm and work together to address these needs. Support, training and resources are available to help with this. Speak Up is providing opportunities for young people from refugee backgrounds to express themselves, develop skills and create positive change.

African Dance
A joint project between ARA and Families SA - Refugee Program
Dance and singing classes for young African girls provides opportunities for the young girls to demonstrate leadership in their communities as well as provide an avenue to explore their own stories and cultural roots in a therapeutic and creative way.

Financial Assistance
ARA is one of a number of agencies that receives money to help support people financially. The money given to ARA is limited. ARA uses this money to help refugees within the first year of arrival, by helping to pay, for example, a utility bill. Clients seeking financial assistance should bring their bill and their Visa. Financial assistance is also available to refugee arrivals in crisis.

Household Formation Support
ARA provides basic furniture and household items to asylum seekers, Temporary Protection Visa holders & to refugee arrivals in crisis. These goods have been donated to ARA by people in the community and businesses. ARA is always on the look out for donations of household goods to give to refugees and asylum seekers. Beds, mattresses in excellent condition, kitchen tables, chairs, and lounge suites. computers & bicycles are always in demand. If you have something in good condition to donate to ARA, click here. ARA’s team of volunteers may be able to collect goods if you are unable to deliver them.

Note: Insurance restrictions mean that ARA is not able to take electrical goods such as fridges, heaters & washing machines.

Refugee Travel Assistance
Refugees arriving in Australia through the Special Humanitarian program (class 202) are required to pay for their own airfares to Australia. ARA has been working closely with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) to provide travel loans to approved proposers. In general, IOM provides about 50% of the total amount. ARA provides information to proposers and assists with applications for the loans.

ARA Bi-Cultural Traineeships
Each year ARA employs three people from small and emerging refugee community groups as Trainees. The 6 month trainee program combines cultural awareness, direct service provision, education and partnerships between services and communities. While ‘on the job’ the trainees will develop valuable skills in casework and advocacy for clients including supervision, mentoring and training. The program helps people to become ambassadors for their newly emerging communities and develop effective networks and connections. This program is funded through DIAC’s Settlement Grant Program (SGP).

English Classes
Proficiency in English is essential for refugees and migrants settling in Australia. It enables their independence and the fulfillment of their life aspirations within the Australian community. Helen Blake and her assistants meet at ARA on Thursday mornings to give classes in English.

Active 8
Active 8 is a youth project funded by the State Government. The Active 8 program involves ARA working in partnership with schools and refugee young people.  Projects include mentoring and activities for 30 young people a year.