MIC's COVID-19 Appeal

Your donation will help us continue to provide direct assistance to people from migrant and refugee backgrounds living in the eastern region of Melbourne who are experiencing financial hardship or crisis.  One hundred per cent of all donations will be used to provide food vouchers and other essential household items to people from refugee or migrant backgrounds to help them through this difficult time. Your support is greatly appreciated.  All donations of $2 or more are tax deductible.

Please visit our website to view the campaign and to make a donation: http://miceastmelb.com.au/get-involved/donate/mic-celebrates-refugee-week-2020/

MIC COVID-19 Response Package Program. The COVID-19 Response Package Program is providing material aid and financial support for people from migrant and refugee backgrounds facing financial hardship or crisis where they have been directly impacted financially by COVID-19. The program is supporting people who have lost their job or had hours dramatically decreased, as well as those facing financial hardship or crisis due to other reasons, including increased expenses during the pandemic.  For more information about the program or to make a referral, please contact Mehul Patel at MIC on 03 9285 4888 or email mpatel@miceastmelb.com.au. 

Access and Support Program. The Access & Support Program provides short term, individual support for frail older people, younger people with a disability and their carers, who need help to stay living at home. The services are free and confidential. The Access and Support worker can work in partnership with family members, friends, community members, doctors, and/or other health professionals. The Access and Support worker can help the person and/or the carer to:

• Find out what services may be available and how to access them;
• Understand how services work;
• Understand the steps involved to apply for a service;
• Contact My Aged Care for aged care services (if person is 65 years old or above);
• Contact an assessment service for Home and Community Care – Program for Younger People Services (if the person is younger than 65 years old).

The outbreak of COVID-19 has impacted all of us in varying ways. The frail older people or younger people with a disability are facing more challenges than ever during these difficult times. Following the Department of Health’s guidelines, the Access and Support program has continued to operate during the COVID-19 pandemic. Access and Support workers have been contacting clients to check on their wellbeing and to ensure that they continue to receive the support they need. Contacting clients were conducted over the phone or through other digital platforms such as WeChat, WhatsApp and Viber. Home visit appointments were arranged on a case by case basis, where phone or digital means were not practical or possible for our clients.

If you, or someone you are caring for needs help and are having trouble accessing services, the Access and Support program may be able to help you. Please contact us on Phone: (03) 9275 6901 or email: wzhang@miceastmelb.com.au.

Referrals by service providers and/or assessment services can be made via My Aged Care Service Provider Portal under the Specialised Support Services/Client Advocacy/Migrant Information Centre Access & Support. Access and Support is funded in Victoria by the Australian Government Department of Health (CHSP) and the Victorian Government Department of Health and Human Services (HACC PYP).

MIC Employment Casework
MIC has Employment Caseworkers available to help people from refugee and migrant backgrounds who have been in Australia or held a permanent humanitarian or family stream migrant visa for less than five years. The MIC Employment Team can assist with the following tasks:

 

For more information about the program or to make a referral, please contact the MIC SETS Team on 03 9285 4888 or email: mic@miceastmelb.com.au.

Funded by the Australian Government Department of Home Affairs through the Settlement Engagement and Transition Support (SETS) programme. Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash.

Family Wellbeing During Crisis. MIC is facilitating information sessions on Family Wellbeing During Crisis that aim to provide strategies for families on managing stress, anger and other negative emotions during a crisis specifically targeting people from refugee backgrounds. Two sessions were conducted with the Arabic community on the 20th and 27th August and another two sessions were conducted with the Karen community on the 18th and 25th August. The sessions covered information about how to stay physically and mentally well during the pandemic and tips/strategies for looking after children during home schooling. There was positive feedback with a lot of questions about how to keep children occupied during lockdown and different ideas for activities for parents to do with children. Participants also asked questions about how to talk to their children about COVID-19.

For more information, please contact Randika Wijekoon on 03 9285 4888 or rwijekoon@miceastmelb.com.au. 

This program is jointly funded by the Australian Government Department of Home Affairs through the Settlement Engagement and Transition Support (SETS) programme and the Department of Premier and Cabinet, Multicultural Affairs and Social Cohesion Division, Strategic Partnerships Program.

Support for Women. Social isolation, anxiety about your health and loss of employment places a lot of stress on families and family relationships. MIC can provide support to help women from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds through these difficult times, including supporting women who are experiencing, have experienced or are at risk of family violence. Our counsellor is available to talk to people face to face about their worries and to help them develop strategies and goals that will meet their needs. 

To make an appointment or referral or for further information, please call the MIC on 03 9285 4888. This program is funded by the Department of Health and Human Services, Specialist Family Violence Program.

Information Sessions for the Chinese Community. MIC will hold two sessions in September for newly arrived migrants from Chinese backgrounds. 

The first is a sessions with Consumer Affairs to speak with the Chinese community on how to be aware of scams during the pandemic. This session will take place on the 10th of September from 1.30pm - 2.30pm via Zoom.

The second session will inform participants about calling 000, also held via Zoom on the 24th of September from 1.30pm - 2.30pm. This program will include:

• When to call 000
• What happens when you call 000
• Other useful emergency phone numbers
• Access to translated resources 

For more information, please contact Elisa Yeung on 0432 028 078 or email eyeung@miceastmelb.com.au. Funded by the Australian Government Department of Home Affairs through the Settlement Engagement and Transition Support (SETS) programme. 

Australian Education System - Information Session. On September the 29th, an information session on the Australian Education System will be offered to the Arabic speaking community. The session will be held on Zoom from 4pm - 6pm. For more information, please contact Sophie or Saturnino at MIC on 9285 4888 or email SMcKenzie@miceastmelb.com.au. This program was jointly funded by the Australian Government Department of Home Affairs through the Settlement Engagement and Transition Support (SETS) programme and the Department of Premier and Cabinet, Multicultural Affairs and Social Cohesion Division, Strategic Partnerships Program.

Buying a House - Information Session. On the 25th of August, MIC held an information session (via Zoom) that provided participants buying a house. Some of the topics discussed included: 

• Choosing a loan
• Conveyancing
• How to choose a property
• Making an offer and deposit
• Stamp duty and lender mortgage insurance

Over 30 participants from the Hakha Chin community attended and feedback was positive. Funded by the Australian Government Department of Home Affairs through the Settlement Engagement and Transition Support (SETS) programme. 

Housing Information Session. MIC held an information session for the Hakha Chin community via Zoom on the 18th of August. This session provided participants with information around renting a house, lease agreements and rights and responsibilities of tenants and landlords. The session was attended by over 30 people and the feedback was positive. Funded by the Australian Government Department of Home Affairs through the Settlement Engagement and Transition Support (SETS) programme. 

Life Saving Victoria - Zoom Sessions. MIC and Life Saving Victoria have joined up to offer several Zoom sessions for community members around beach safety. These sessions will take place in September and include:

For more information, please contact MIC on 9285 4888. Funded by the Australian Government Department of Home Affairs through the Settlement Engagement and Transition Support (SETS) programme and Life Saving Victoria.

Citizenship - Information Session. On the 1st of September, MIC held an information session for the Hakha Chin community via Zoom about Citizenship. The session included information about eligibility, the character test, documentation and what to do if an application is refused. Over 40 participants attended the session. Funded by the Australian Government Department of Home Affairs through the Settlement Engagement and Transition Support (SETS) programme. 

Volunteers Needed!

Community Visitors Scheme (CVS)

The MIC's Community Visitors Scheme (CVS) supports older people who are experiencing or at risk of experiencing social isolation and loneliness by linking them with a CVS volunteer visitor who they meet regularly, and develop an ongoing positive relationship.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for regular contact with members of our older community has become increasingly important as more older people, who are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 are self-isolating for safety reasons. This places more older people at even greater risk of loneliness and social isolation. However, with the need for social distancing, physical visits have now transitioned to ‘virtual visits’ with CVS volunteer visitors now other communication methods and platforms to keep in touch with residents such as phone calls, Skype, WhatsApp etc.

If you can spare a few hours a week and would like to help an older person, please call Mervat (MIC’s CVS Coordinator) on 9285 4888 or email mdahdoule@miceastmelb.com.au.
 

Craft and Friends - Young Women's Program. A Young Women’s Program, Craft & Friends is currently running, held each Tuesday starting on the 18th of August. This program will be held online and will aim to not only facilitate art & craft activities, but provide a safe space for young women from newly arrived refugee and migrant backgrounds to chat and debrief during this time. For more information, please contact Tara Barmby at MIC on 0424 595 966 or email tbarmby@miceastmelb.com.au. This program was funded by the Australian Government Department of Home Affairs through the Settlement Engagement and Transition Support (SETS) programme. 

Free Online Tutoring. LearnAid are providing a new service for VCE Students from refugee backgrounds (including people seeking asylum). LearnAid are offering weekly group online group tuition (groups of 4-8 students per class) on Saturdays. Lessons will be for FREE and running weekly via zoom. LearnAid plan to provide help for units 3&4 Chemistry and units 3&4 Maths methods to begin with. For more information, please call 0435 760 830 or email aida.sabet96@gmail.com or visit the Website: https://learnaidtutoring.com/.
 

Call-to-Test: in-home COVID testing service. The Victorian Government has established a new Call-to-Test service. The service provides in-home testing for COVID-19, conducted by a clinician, to people who can’t easily access other forms of testing. The following people are eligible for the in-home testing service:

For more information, please visit https://www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/call-to-test-covid-19.

 

MiCare Monash CALD Health and Wellbeing Support. MiCare still remains open during COVID-19 restrictions where they are able to provide information, advice and referral including secondary consults for people who are not in the catchment area. Are you a Migrant, International Student, Refugee or Asylum Seeker needing help, information or advice? Do you live, work, study or have connections to City of Monash? MiCare can help you with Centrelink issues, family relationships, health issues, making appointments, referral to legal services and other services. For more information, please contact Sarah Chong (Monash Community Strengthening Worker) on 0491 693 862 or email sarah.chong@micare.com.au.
 

Multilingual COVID-19 videos in 18 languages. The Eastern Melbourne Primary Health Network have developed a 'Stay Safe, Stay Home' video available in 18 languages. The languages available include: Amharic, Arabic, Assyrian, Auslan, Cantonese, Chin Hakha, Dinka, Greek, Hindi, Italian, Karen, Mandarin, Nuer, Oromo, Tamil, Tigrinya and Vietnamese. For more information, please visit: https://nwmphn.org.au/health-systems-capacity-building/covid-19/staysafe/.
 

Together For Respect At Home. The past few months have been an extremely difficult time for many of us, especially for those who may live in fear of their own safety. EDVOS has seen an increase in all family violence services and a significant increase of risk to women and children experiencing family violence during this time. To continue our support in providing important messages around respectful relationships and safety, the Together For Respect At Home working group have just released some new resources. We are excited to share with you the following resources, which have developed in partnership with specialist services:

• A video promoting the messages of the campaign and resources
• An A3/A4 poster with specialist family violence services translated into Cantonese, Mandarin, Hakha Chin and Hindi
• A set of 4 social media tiles with translated content to be shared on social media
• Email banners for organisations to use in their promotion of the campaign

All new resources can be found via this link www.whe.org.au/tfer/tfer-projects/ along with the original 9 social media tiles and communication guide.
 

MyGov - now accessible in over 100 languages. The Digital Transformation Agency (DTA) have built a Beta website to trial new myGov content and collect feedback. An exciting feature of the Beta website, is the ‘select language’ option that offers users a choice to view the website in over 100 languages. Check out the myGov beta website at beta.my.gov.au. To access the ‘select language’ feature, go to beta.my.gov.au using Google Chrome or from a personal device, scroll to the bottom of the page and it will give you the option to select a language in the bottom left hand corner.
 

Glossary of COVID-19 Terms. Polaron have put together a Glossary of COVID-19 Terms to support translators, interpreters, project managers and bi-lingual workers. Their translation team has developed it in 57 languages and it can be downloaded at here. 
 

New translated resources for Tax Time 2020. This year the ATO has translated some new resources for Tax Time to assist people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds with their tax returns with information on:

• How to get ready to do your tax return checklist
• Help for your first tax time
• Important information for your 2019-20 tax return, and
• Newsletter articles for you to share with your community

These resources are available to download here in the following languages: Arabic, Dari, Farsi, Greek, Hazaragi, Indonesian, Japanese, Khmer, Korean, Nepali, Pashto, Polish, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Thai, Traditional Chinese and Vietnamese.
 
There is also a ‘Tax in Australia – what you need to know’ booklet which is available to download that contains information for people who are new to the Australian tax and super systems. This resource is available upon request in the following languages: Arabic, Dari, Farsi, Hindi, Korean, Nepali, Punjabi, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Thai, Traditional Chinese, Urdu and Vietnamese.
 

New Triple Zero resources for CALD community members. ESTA has released a campaign focused on helping CALD community members feel more confident in using the triple zero service. This campaign features both online and printed items translated in 10 different languages, showing how to call triple zero in emergency situations and what to expect whilst on the call. The resources aim to breakdown some of the cultural barriers that might prevent people from calling and will emphasise that language interpreters are available for those with low English proficiency. The translated resources are available for the following language groups: Mandarin, Arabic, Vietnamese, Greek, Italian, Cantonese, Macedonian, Turkish, Spanish and Persian. For more information, please visit: https://www.esta.vic.gov.au/language-options.