We connect communities, generate evidence, and advocate for a multicultural Australia. The HMC has grown to become a major provider of health, wellbeing, social and support programs to our Region's diverse established and emerging CALD communities, older persons, disenfranchised youth, special needs groups and wider public. With more than 70 community group members, a majority of which are represe
ntative of the established and emerging culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities in this region. Funded by state and federal governments, the HMC continues its historical advocacy services to skilled migrants and humanitarian refugees making Newcastle their new home. Initially, from 1977 we established support services for our ageing post WWII European migrants who came to work in the steelmaking and manufacturing sectors who arrived from 1946 until 1973 predominantly as political and economic refugees from countries such as Poland, Italy, Greece, Macedonia, Austria, Hungary, Germany and Russia. In the following decades people arriving in Newcastle were increasingly from India, China, Philippines and Malaysia. African humanitarian refugees arriving mainly between 2004- 2009 were from a range of countries including Sudan, Congo, and Liberia. The current focus for humanitarian settlement in Newcastle is people seeking new horizons from countries such as Syria, Sudan, Iraq and Afghanistan. The HMC also works in conjunction with other Newcastle based community organisations providing specialised support for our diverse communities including a range of settlement, trauma counselling and rehabilitation, education, language, housing, health and wellbeing, welfare and safety services.
