Humanitarian services FAQs

The Humanitarian Settlement Program (HSP) provides initial settlement support to families and individuals who have been granted a permanent visa under Australia’s humanitarian program.
SSI believes that providing appropriate support to new community members in their initial settlement is critical to their long-term success in the Australian community. Our services enhance self-reliance with a focus on English language skills, education and job readiness.
SSI uses specialist orientation sessions, workshops and community excursions to equip individuals and families with the language skills, knowledge and information to successfully settle into their local area and the wider Australian community. People are also linked with essential local services and community groups, and helped to develop an individual settlement plan.
Support continues for up to 12 months, until new arrivals are able to secure stable, long-term accommodation and are ready to live independently.

The Status Resolution Support Services (SRSS) program provides support to people who are living in the community on temporary visas, or who are in community detention while their application for refugee status is assessed.
These services include temporary accommodation, income support and case management. People seeking asylum are assisted to connect with essential services in the community and are supported to secure their own long-term accommodation in the private rental market and, where possible, employment.
Case managers support individuals and families until their visa status is resolved. Through information workshops and community engagement activities, SSI aims to equip people with the life skills needed to adjust to their new community. People seeking asylum are connected with local community groups and volunteers and are supported to establish themselves independently within the Australian community while they await the outcome of their visa application.
Ongoing casework support is provided to people who are experiencing mental health or serious health issues, minors at risk of harm and victims of torture and trauma.

SSI is a primary provider of resettlement and case management services to refugees and humanitarian entrants, and case management for people seeking asylum. In 2013, the organisation also began working with foster children, young people and parents from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds (CALD), as well as families with an early intervention focus.
In 2014, SSI started delivering support services to people with disability through the Ability Links NSW program. In 2015, SSI became the lead organisation in a consortium selected to deliver settlement services to refugees and migrants in NSW.
SSI delivers services under the following primary programs areas:
Humanitarian Settlement Program (HSP) – casework and housing support for humanitarian entrants who have been granted a permanent protection visa during the first 12 months in Australia (Federally funded).
NSW Settlement Partnership (NSP) – this consortium of 23 community organisations delivers settlement services that support self-reliance, equitable participation in Australian society and, as a consequence, promote social cohesion and productive diversity within the Australian community (Federally funded).
Status Resolution Support Service (SRSS) – the SRSS program provides support to people who are living in the community on temporary visas, or who are in community detention, while their application for refugee status is assessed (Federally funded).
Multicultural Foster Care – provides general foster care services to children and young people from CALD backgrounds (NSW Government funded).
Ignite Small Business Start-ups – SSI’s Ignite initiative facilitates business creation for refugee clients who want to establish a small business.
Ability Links NSW – SSI provides support to people with disability through the Ability Links NSW program in the Metro North, Metro South and Southern Regions of Sydney as well as the South Coast of NSW.
Community Engagement – SSI organises a broad array of events and activities that aim to forge a link between our clients and the wider Australian community.
Youth Collective – SSI provides dedicated youth services that support young people from refugee, asylum seeker and migrant backgrounds.
Employment – SSI provides employment services for SSI clients as part of an integrated service deliver model, as well as providing recruitment services for corporate organisations and operating a number of social enterprises that offer hands-on work facilitates business creation for refugee clients who want to establish a small business.

SSI’s member organisations include 11 migrant resource and multicultural services providers across NSW. They include:

• Accessible Diversity Services Initiative Ltd
• Advance Diversity Services
• Community Migrant Resource Centre Inc.
• CORE Community Services Fairfield,
• Focus Connect
• Illawarra Multicultural Services Inc.
• Metro Assist
• Northern Settlement Services Ltd
• Sydney Multicultural Community Services
• SydWest Multicultural Services
• Western Sydney Migrant Resource Centre Ltd

For more information on these organisations, visit our Member Organisations page where links to these organisations’ websites are available.