Aslyum Seeker and Refugee Assistance

Our Asylum Seeker and Refugee Assistance (ASRA) housing program offers affordable housing that is intentionally linked to a range of tailored support services. This program is dedicated to supporting asylum seekers and refugees in the Brisbane area who are unable to access housing.

Asylum Seeker and Refugee Assistance

Our Asylum Seeker and Refugee Assistance program provides Supportive Housing for refugees and asylum seekers in a partnership with external community groups and support services. 

Our Asylum Seeker and Refugee Assistance program is delivered in a partnership model and governed by the ASRA consortia, which consists of the following organisations:

An image of the Brisbane City Skyline, taken from the perspective of the rooftop garden at Brisbane Common Ground.
Aerial view of Brisbane City

The ASRA Story

This program began in March of 2021 in response to urgent housing and support required for a group of asylum seekers who had been medically evacuated from offshore detention and recently released from community detention in Kangaroo Point, Brisbane. 

CGQ worked with Communify Queensland and other agencies with the support of the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC), to provide supportive housing for these vulnerable men.

After several successful years, we continued the ASRA program, whilst the generosity of many local organisations grew our capacity to house more vulnerable asylum seekers and refugees.

How it Works

The Asylum Seeker and Refugee Assistance program is a supportive housing model. Common Ground Queensland works in partnership with Communify Queensland to headlease homes in the Brisbane area and rents these homes  to individuals and families in the program.

Common Ground Queensland provides Supportive Tenancy Management for all tenants, and the individuals and families are supported by Communify Queensland’s housing team to ensure that they have a positive experience, and to assist tenants to build their capacity to rent independently.

Two hands interchanging a set of keys to a house.
A photo of a man with a bicycle.

Who is Eligible

The Asylum Seeker and Refugee Assistance program is funded to provide support to Asylum Seekers in Queensland. Eligibility for the program for individuals and families fall into two categories:

Category one: People seeking asylum:

  • Who came to Australia by boat, and;
  • Do not have a permanent visa, and;
  • Reside in Queensland, and;
  • Who have been assessed as vulnerable, and;
  • Are not receiving support from the SRSS (Status Resolution Support Services) program.

Category two: People who have arrived in Australia fleeing from an identified conflict zone, who are in significant hardship.

For more information, please visit Communify Queensland’s webpage here: https://communify.org.au/core-programs/asylum-seeker-and-refugee-assistance-asra-program/

Acknowledgement of Country

Common Ground Queensland acknowledges the Turrbal and Jagera/Yuggera peoples as the Owners and Custodians of the land and waters we live and work upon.
 
We recognise and respect the historic and continued connection to land and water including the deep spiritual connection and relationship that First Nations people have to Country.
 
We recognise sovereignty was never ceded.
 
Common Ground Queensland acknowledges the ongoing impacts of colonisation on First Nations people and is committed to working in partnership with First Nations people to address the impacts of colonisation.