Foundation supports Diversitat’s settlement program

THE Geelong Community Foundation has thrown a lifeline to a housing program run by Diversitat in Geelong.
Diversitat is the local provider of the federal government’s Humanitarian Settlement Program (HSP), and assisted more than 400 refugees and people seeking asylum – 198 of those children and young people – to find rental housing in their new town in 2019.
The HSP provides support to these people to build the skills and knowledge they need to become self-reliant and active members of the Australian community.
Settling the refugees is critical and time-consuming work, but Diversitat says the federal government has cut funding for the housing program by $1 million over the past five years.
The Geelong Community Foundation has stepped in and decided to invest $80,000 in the service to employ a specialist housing worker to work with local landlords and real estate agents to assist new arrivals to rent a house in Geelong.
Diversitat unit manager of Safe Secure Casey O’Brien said he was excited about the fresh injection of support from the Geelong Community Foundation.
“This funding is a profound investment in the way we welcome the newest and most vulnerable members of our community.
“It will have a direct positive impact on the physical and mental health and well-being of hundreds of people in our region and provide scaffolding for building new ways of welcome.
“The generous support of the Geelong Community Foundation means that the Diversitat housing program is open for business for another year, at least.”
If you are interested in helping the settlement program, Diversitat is on the lookout for volunteers.
“We are always happy to hear from people who want to help our new arrivals,” Mr O’Brien said.
Families settled by Diversitat have come from a variety of countries including Syria, Iran, Iraq, Myanmar, Afghanistan, Palestine, Pakistan, Sudan, Congo and Somalia.
For more information on the program, head to diversitat.org.au or phone 5260 6000.