When Rami and his family arrived in Australia after years of living in fear, they hoped to finally feel safe.
Sadly, nothing could be further from the truth. Soon they will be homeless.
Back home, 18-year-old Rami could only dare to dream about a career as an engineer. His family was persecuted for their religious beliefs, and lived each day in fear. Coming to Australia in 2019 was about safety, security, a new start. A place to access better treatment for this family’s failing health.
They did not expect the uncertainty, trauma and stress that’s plagued them since their arrival. They did not expect to face homelessness, over and over again - more than 100 housing applications, rejected every time.
“All we wanted was to be safe. My brother, in our home country, he was arrested and tortured for his beliefs. It was very stressful and frightening and he is never the same. My parents, their health is failing fast.
“We thought, now we are here, it would be OK. But the problems, they have not gone away. We cannot find a proper home, and we feel very alone.”
Thousands of South Australians are becoming more vulnerable to housing stress and homelessness and that number is likely to increase.
The toughest competition is for family homes, and the crisis is further complicated for families like Rami’s.
With complex needs and being new to our country and its systems, Rami and his family find the housing market extremely challenging to navigate.
On top of that, Rami is a full-time carer for his mother, father and brother.
Mum, Yasmin and dad, Omar have battled ill health for some time. Yasmin has been diagnosed with bowel cancer and needs regular treatment and care. Omar has failing eye sight and lives with diabetes. Rami’s older brother, Zayd struggles with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder after his dreadful experience with police in their home country.
Rami is the main point of contact for everything for his family. He has even left school to take care of them. He accompanies his parents to medical appointments, talking and translating with doctors and specialists. He gives comfort to Zayd, who needs constant reassurance and cannot cope with simple day-to-day life.
“In my culture, we are close to our family. I take my parents to appointments, I do the cleaning, arrange the housework, I look after them, just as they looked after me.”
All this and trying to find a home in the most competitive housing market we have ever seen. It’s a heavy burden for anyone to carry, let alone an 18 year old.
The reason families like Rami’s fall through the cracks is that other services find it difficult to understand their complex circumstances, language barriers and cultural differences. Without help to navigate the system, Rami will be stuck in a cycle of perpetual crisis.
ARA’s case workers are former refugees, who understand the challenges, culture and language barriers that face the people they support. There is no one better placed to help. But ARA’s basic funding for case worker hours is extremely limited.
Will you please donate today and help Rami find a home for his family?
Your donation to the Emergency Support Service will:
- Fund additional hours for intensive case worker support with Rami’s housing search and rental applications
- Contribute to bond and rent in advance to help guarantee a home for the family
- Help Rami with the spiralling costs of fuel to get to house inspections and medical appointments
- Fund the gap in the family’s medication costs after Medicare
- Fund advocacy and connection to the NDIS, to negotiate complex care pathways for three members of the family
You can read Rami’s story in full HERE
*We change names to protect the privacy of our clients
