Refugee Hub

Call Us: (02) 4979 1120

Email: ccenquiries@catholiccare.org.au

The Refugee Hub plays an integral role in the settlement of refugees in the Newcastle and Hunter region. By working collaboratively with other service providers, the Refugee Hub walks with refugees to support and empower them on their journey to independence.

At CatholicCare’s Refugee Hub, we support people from refugee, asylum-seeker, and vulnerable migrant backgrounds to settle into life in Australia. We welcome people from all social, ethnic and religious backgrounds.

We aim to assist people in gaining the confidence to engage with their local community and empower them on their journey to independence. Our team takes a strength-based approach and ground our practices in culturally sensitive and trauma-informed care.

We operate a comprehensive and individualised intake and referral system, and provide casework and advocacy support for refugees and new migrants to access community services.

This year, your help is needed more than ever, with an average of 17 new families referred to our Refugee Hub every month. Cost of living pressures and a difficult rental market are putting families under additional pressure, which has lead to increasing numbers of families needing support. Find out more about how you can donate.

Volunteers are the backbone of the Refugee Hub, and each brings their own unique talents to help refugees benefit from health, education, social, and welfare opportunities. You can read more about becoming a volunteer here.

Thanks to your support, we can continue providing a range of practical programs that promote inclusion, wellbeing, confidence, and skills development.

Tutoring Program

Refugee Hub offers weekly tutoring sessions for primary and secondary school students from refugee, asylum-seeker, and vulnerable migrant backgrounds. The session are run by volunteers who are either teachers or otherwise suitably qualified.

Driving Program

Refugee Hub runs a driving program that assists particularly vulnerable people from refugee or asylum seeker backgrounds to gain their Australian drivers licence by offering fully funded professional driving lessons and additional mentoring by our dedicated volunteers.

Men's Group

Refugee Hub runs a weekly Men’s Program for men from refugee backgrounds in collaboration with STARTTS (NSW Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture & Trauma Survivors). The aim of the group is to provide a safe space for men to make connections, develop their confidence and English skills and to gain knowledge and skills that will assist them to integrate into Australian society.

OzHarvest Food Support Program

In collaboration with OzHarvest, Refugee Hub distributes short term emergency relief food hampers to families from refugee or asylum seeker backgrounds who have been identified as being in especially significant need.

Contact and Referrals

To find out more about CatholicCare Refugee Hub, please email us at refugeehub@catholiccare.org.au.

To make a referral, please complete our referral form and forward it to refugeehub@catholiccare.org.au.

Donations

Our Refugee Hub receives no government funding and relies on the generosity of volunteers and donors to continue providing these vital services. Discover more about how you can help: