Complex crises require specialist response and support: Insights from our Frontlines.

The JRS Complex Casework and Emergency Relief team have borne witness to the devastating impacts of successive government policies that leave people seeking asylum and other vulnerable migrants without a safety net.  

Our team works with people seeking asylum to find solutions to the issues that matter to them most. We recognise that people seeking asylum have been disenfranchised both in their home country, and here in Australia. As a result, many experience social isolation, strained relationships, poor mental and physical health and a profound sense of hopelessness, all of which can severely hinder a person’s ability to rebuild their lives.  

In just six months, our team has received over 200 referrals for people experiencing homelessness, at risk of eviction, and in unstable and unsuitable housing arrangements. Everyone deserves a safe place to call home – no matter their visa. Yet without access to income support, this is far from a reality for many people seeking asylum living in the Australian community.  

The Status Resolution Support Program (SRSS) remains the only government-funded program that supports people seeking asylum and other vulnerable temporary visa holders. Once a critical lifeline, the program has been quietly gutted by up to 60%.

Today, even the most vulnerable people — including those with significant physical or mental health conditions, families with young children, and people engaged in legitimate asylum processes like Judicial Review or Ministerial Intervention — are being cut off, leaving unfunded charities like JRS to pick up the slack. Cuts to SRSS are not just cuts to income — they are cuts to housing, cuts to medication, cuts to stability, and cuts to dignity. 

Our Approach to Casework

The JRS Complex Casework team works tirelessly to support those affected by this systemic neglect. We work to prevent homelessness, by supporting people to stay in their current homes, educating them about their tenancy rights, and providing financial relief in moments of crisis.

JRS Caseworkers work hard to map pathways out of crisis for the people we serve, but the system is full of potholes and dead ends. 

In recent weeks, the JRS Complex Casework team has received two separate referrals for families who were cut off from the SRSS program after being deemed ineligible by the Department of Home Affairs.  

Despite this, both families experience significant mental and physical health concerns and are caring for young children – now at imminent risk of homelessness and harm with no income, no safety net, and no access to essential services.  

Both families had their claims for protection reviewed under the deeply flawed and heavily criticised ‘Fast Track’ process. They now face the additional burden of being financially punished, on top of the trauma from seeking asylum.  

This raises serious questions: Why are families with clear vulnerabilities being cut off from essential supports?  

Our caseworkers have urgently escalated both cases back to the Department, with no response received to date.  

“In the absence of government action, JRS is stepping in. Complex caseworkers will work tirelessly for this family to have their income support reinstated and provide both practical and psychosocial support to help these families manage the impact of trauma, fear and uncertainty,” reported Casework and Emergency Relief Manager Gabrielle Leafe. 

“If not for us, there is nowhere for these families to turn. And until the Government recognises and adequately funds the significant contribution of services like JRS, we have to rely on donations to provide this lifeline,” Gabi added. 

How you can help

The truth is: no matter how hard we work, we cannot replace a broken system. We are doing everything that we can, but we can’t do it alone.  

This end of financial year, please consider a donation towards the direct cost of our crucial casework and emergency relief program. This program receives no Federal or State grant funding, which the families we serve rely entirely on your generosity. 

Every donation matters: side by side, hand in hand, we can make a real difference for refugees and people seeking asylum.