Tasmania’s Safe Haven Hub will commence its first phase of operation today following the selection of CatholicCare Tasmania to establish and coordinate the new services.
The Tasmanian Government has committed $1.2 million over four years to establish the Safe Haven Hub.
The hub will provide additional assistance to migrants already in Tasmania and in coming months it will operate as the first point of contact for Safe Haven Enterprise Visa holders and support those from Syria and Iraq, displaced by the largest humanitarian crisis since World War II.
The hub will provide educational support and employment pathways for migrants, linking them with employers by working with industry councils, local government and training providers to fill labour shortages in growth areas of our economy.
It will also assist SHEV holders to find accommodation, education, local services and employment, making it easier for them to feel a part of our community.
CatholicCare will begin providing support from today, and that support will increase as it recruits expert staff and establishes the hub in the state.
Tasmania was only the second Australian jurisdiction to opt-in to the SHEV program and welcome asylum seekers under this scheme, along with New South Wales.
The Commonwealth Government is currently processing SHEV applications, assessing the refugee status of applicants and conducting security clearances.
The Commonwealth is also processing refugees from Syria and Iraq. The Tasmania Government has committed to doubling our humanitarian intake to about 1,000 refugees a year, to assist in the resettlement of people displaced worldwide through war and persecution.
Tasmania has a long history of compassionate response to world crises and a welcoming response to migrants, and the opening of the hub today is the latest example of this.