House of Welcome

16/10/2026

This week, House of Welcome hosted Building Tech Safety, a six-week workshop run by Women’s & Girls’ Emergency Centre WAGEC for women and girls from asylum seeking and refugee backgrounds.

Each week, participants explore safe and practical ways to use technology.

After every session, staff and participants come together to cook and share lunch, with a different cuisine each week. This week, it was pizza making. 🍕

Because building skills is important, but so is connection, belonging and sharing a meal together.

30/09/2026

Taking community voices directly to NSW Parliament. 🏛️

On 23 September, House of Welcome joined the NSW Community Alliance Action Launch Day, standing alongside community leaders, advocates and people with lived experience to call for safer and fairer housing.

Together, we continued advocating for temporary visa holders experiencing homelessness and domestic and family violence to have greater access to safe housing support.

As Kaydee reflected, “Real change is possible when everyone comes together.”

We're grateful to stand alongside our colleagues, fellow advocates and people with lived experience in calling for a safer, fairer and more inclusive housing system.

Thank you to the Ministers, MPs and representatives who took the time to listen, engage and hear directly from community.

The work continues. 💜

23/09/2026

✨ Take a tour with Sascha, our Housing Officer and Caseworker, of one of House of Welcome's transitional homes.

This property was once a convent and has been transformed into safe, shared accommodation for up to 10 women. Renovations include a modern kitchen, disability accessible bedrooms and bathrooms, a client meeting room and improved shared spaces designed to support comfort, dignity and independence.

▪️For women seeking asylum who are escaping domestic and family violence, finding safe housing can be incredibly difficult.
▪️Often excluded from Centrelink, public housing and many refuge services, leaving them with limited options when they need safety most.

This home is one of 16 properties managed by House of Welcome, including women-only housing, men's accommodation and homes for families seeking asylum. Together, these properties provide safe and stable housing.

👇 Would you like to see more housing tour videos? Let us know in the comments.

21/09/2026

Earlier this month, Hoorieh and Kaydee from the casework team, joined the UNSW Career Symposium to speak with final-year social work students about careers in the community sector.

As former social work students themselves, it was a special opportunity to return to universities like UNSW and share what it's really like to work alongside people seeking asylum and refugees.

From conversations at our stall to presenting on the day, the team talked about the different pathways into social work, the challenges and rewards of the sector, and the importance of advocating for fairer outcomes for people seeking asylum in Australia.

A big thank you to the UNSW Social Work Faculty for the invitation. It was a privilege to connect with so many thoughtful and passionate future social workers and to share a little about the work we do at House of Welcome.

17/09/2026

This week, our team, Marie, Hoorieh, Anh and Kaydee, represented House of Welcome at the Cumberland Homelessness and Housing Forum 2026, hosted by Cumberland Council. The forum was a collaborative event bringing together stakeholders from across the housing, homelessness, community services, health, legal and government sectors.

Kaydee partnered with Mursal Rahimi, Senior Policy & Casework Solicitor at to facilitate a roundtable discussion addressing housing barriers for non-residents and visa holders. She also joined a panel to highlight the unique needs and challenges people seeking asylum face in their pursuit of safe, stable, and sustainable housing.

During both sessions, our team invited attendees, including community service providers, NSW Police, and Council staff, to consider the needs of people seeking asylum and articulate calls to action: partner with the sector and advocate at a personal and professional capacity so people seeking asylum are no longer excluded from mainstream housing services.

A big thank you to our sector partner Jesuit Refugee Service Australia - JRS who also represented the community at the forum.

16/09/2026

Happy birthday to Lochie, our youngest volunteer! 🎉 From mowing and gardening to helping with all kinds of odd jobs, Lochie has been a huge support to our team.

“I first started volunteering here two years ago as part of my Duke of Edinburgh Award, but I ended up staying because I loved being part of it. Working with such welcoming people and contributing to the team at House of Welcome has been one of the most rewarding experiences" - Lochie

16/09/2026

07/09/2026

Many people seeking asylum are excluded from traditional housing assistance and face significant barriers to securing stable accommodation.

Through safe housing and ongoing support, House of Welcome is helping people move from uncertainty to stability and independence. 💙

27/08/2026

Our Operations Manager, Fabio Forgione represented House of Welcome at the Catholic Social Services Australia (CSSA) Parliamentary Advocacy Summit in Canberra.

Held at Parliament House on 12–13 August, the Summit brought together parliamentarians, sector leaders and Catholic social services from across Australia under the theme: Building for the Common Good through social cohesion.

Fabio was honoured to speak on Day 2, sharing our perspective on how a Pathway to Social Cohesion through Social Inclusion can be achieved for people seeking asylum and refugees in Australia.

Key points from our presentation:

▪️Social inclusion is not just a policy goal — it’s a moral obligation, especially for people seeking asylum and refugees.
▪️Inclusion is achievable, but only if we remove systemic barriers facing people seeking asylum and refugees.
▪️Through our Transitional Housing Program, 90%+ of clients (people seeking asylum and refugees) have moved into private rental and achieved financial independence.

We called on leaders to act for people seeking asylum and refugees by:
➡️Clear transition to permanency and faster visa processing
➡️Unrestricted work rights from day one
➡️Full access to Medicare and healthcare, regardless of visa subclass
➡️Access to safe, affordable housing and SRSS support

While progress is being made, significant gaps remain. Summits like this provide a critical platform for cross-sector collaboration, evidence-based advocacy and shared commitment to building a more inclusive and equitable Australia.

Thank you to CSSA for hosting such an important gathering and to everyone working toward a more just Australia.

24/08/2026

📢 We're hiring!

Join House of Welcome as a Caseworker / Housing Project Officer and play a vital role in supporting people seeking asylum and refugees to achieve safety, stability and independence.

This unique hybrid role combines direct client casework with housing program coordination and property administration, offering the opportunity to make a meaningful impact through holistic support, advocacy and access to secure housing.

If you're highly organised, passionate about social justice and committed to empowering people seeking asylum and refugees, we'd love to hear from you.

➡️Apply now and help create pathways to belonging, dignity, and independence.
🔗www.ethicaljobs.com.au/members/thow/caseworker-housing-project-officer?locations=3