Welcome a refugee family

You can sponsor and welcome refugee families into your local communities through community sponsorship.

The Community Refugee Integration and Settlement Pilot (CRISP) enables groups of five+ locals to welcome and support a refugee family for a year in Australia.

Several refugee families are and have been supported in the Northern Rivers – from Ballina to Lismore to Tweed.

Most have received support from Northern Rivers for Refugees.

The Community Refugee Integration and Settlement Pilot (CRISP) in a nutshell:

• group of five or more adults form a group to provide 12 months of practical, hands-on support to a refugee family
• training and support is provided by Community Refugee Sponsorship Australia (CRSA)
• CRSA matches groups with a refugee household referred to the CRISP program by Dept Home Affairs
• refugees have been identified by the UNHCR and been granted permanent visas by the Australian Government.

Your group will help the family with

• local orientation, including meeting at the airport
• securing temporary and long-term housing
• opening bank accounts
• initial income support (first 1-2 weeks)
• registering for Centrelink support
• enrolling in TAFE for English lessons
• enrolling children in school
• accessing social opportunities and emotional support
• getting a driver’s licence
• finding a job or starting a business.

We’ll be by your side!

• NRFR can help with any local support your group needs to form a group and welcome a refugee family
• our successful fundraising can take that pressure off your group
• groups who have already welcomed a family can answer any question you have along the way and share their tips.

This is your moment to make a difference to the global refugee crisis through meaningful and rewarding local action.

For more information email NRFR and one of the local coordinators will answer all your questions and share their experiences.