- Who we are
The Indooroopilly Uniting Church Asylum Seeker and Refugee Support Hub (IUC Hub) is a community support group for people seeking asylum and refugees who are at risk of becoming unlawful.
We help vulnerable people maintain their fundamental human rights e.g. the right to work, study and access healthcare.
We provide access to a broad range of services including:
- Administrative and clerical support [see section 4];
- Emergency food relief and welfare [see section 5];
- Referral to appropriate services: legal, housing, physical and mental health, employment [see section 7];
- Social interaction and connectedness to community.
- Opening hours
We run two weekly drop-in clinics.
- Thursdays 2 pm -5 pm
- Saturdays 2 pm -5 pm
- Getting here
We are located at 74 Station Road, Indooroopilly, on level 1.
The Indooroopilly bus interchange is across the road, and the train station is 400 m away.
- Form filling
The form filling clinic assists people seeking asylum and refugees with the completion of immigration paperwork associated with seeking protection. We mainly assist with applying for bridging visas, Medicare, Immicards, Ministerial Intervention request letters and referrals to other agencies. This administrative and clerical assistance fills a gap in the sector.
- Welfare
We provide people seeking asylum and refugees with groceries and toiletries, and occasionally food and fuel vouchers.
Groceries are obtained from Foodbank and wholesalers. The “Thread Together” van visits the hub to provide clothing every second week. We also have school supplies and toys available for children and have distributed donated bicycles and some furniture.
- Volunteers
The IUC Hub has a faithful and dedicated team of volunteers from a pool of over 50 people assisting at the twice weekly form filling clinic and with welfare support.
- ASRA
We are part of the Asylum Seeker Resource Assistance (ASRA) program. The ASRA program brings together several organisations to support people seeking asylum and refugees on temporary visas in Queensland. The program aims to support client’s wellbeing, build capacity, provide basic financial assistance to those without income and develop collaborative community efforts to sustain support.
The following agencies attend the IUC Hub on Thursdays from 2 pm – 5 pm.
- Communify: ASRA program management and coordination, and housing support
- Red Cross: emergency relief and case coordination
- Multicultural Australia: employment support and other ASRA hub coordination (Logan and Gatton Hubs currently)
- Refugee and Immigration Legal Service: legal advice and legal support coordination
- QPASTT: mental health support
- WWG: health advocacy and nurse case management
Staff from these agencies are also available at the following locations and times
- Logan: every Wednesday from 10 am – 4 pm, at 91 Wembley Road, Logan Central
- Gatton: last Tuesday of the month from 12 pm – 4 pm, at 49 North Street, Gatton
You can find out more about the ASRA program here.
The ASRA program is funded by the Department of Children, Youth Justice and Multicultural Affairs.