Issue 60, January 2011

THE MULTICULTURAL

MONITOR

Issue 70, September 2015

MONITOR

Migrant and Refugee Settlement

Services of the ACT Inc.

Contents

Board Members

Dewani Bakkum Chief Executive Officer Meron Reda Receptionist/Administration Niran Karaeni Administration Officer Humanitarian Settlement Services (HSS) Sandra Elhew HSS Team Leader Andrew Kazar Accommodation Officer Trish Parshu Ram HSS Case Manager Annabel Spry HSS Caseworker Hashimat Mir HSS Caseworker (Casual) Settlement Grants Program (SGP) Shani Fernando SGP Team Leader Fiona Eskandarinezhad SGP Caseworker Tamara Chafee SGP Caseworker Engy Abdelsalam SGP Caseworker Community Development Officer (CDP) Chris Jones Driving Coordinator Zoe Burns CDP Officer Brady McMullen Sports, PASS, HTP Lynne Johnson Arts and Craft Coordinator

Raewyn Bastion Chair

Nim Osborne Treasurer

Andrew Alwast Secretary

David Ng Public Officer

Borhan Uddin Ahmed Board Member

Khawar Saleem Board Member

Simon Kwan Kit Ng Board Member

Juan de la Torre Board Member

1

MARSS staff members

In this Issue

Message from the CEO 2

HSS & White Ribbon Training 3-4

MARSS Information Sessions 5-6

Arts and Crafts Group Launch 7-8

CDP Sports 9-10

CDP Driving & Computer Classes 11-12

Canberra Welcomes Refugees 13-14

Mapping Our Journeys 15-16

Department of Employment Fundraiser 17

UNHCR Conference 18

MARSS Eid Celebrations 19-20

MARSS Upcoming Events 21

Service Details 22

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your ongoing support and share with you some of our major events over the past few months. Throughout June, the Multicultural Centre was vibrantly decorated by the art exhi-bition Mapping Our Journeys: Celebrating Our Diversity. The exhibition displayed a collection of art gathered from the ACT’s multicultural community and featured a variety of artistic mediums including painting, clothing, crafts, textiles and jewellery which celebrated diverse multi-culturalism and the migrant and refugee’s artistic contribution to the community. Walking around the exhibition, each artwork told their individual story of tradition and culture but also conveyed a strong sentiment of migration. Mapping our Journeys’ encouraged self-reflection and allowed the viewer to broaden their understanding of their own culture and community and that of others. We thank the Department of Social Services for funding this successful event. During National Refugee Week, MARSS launched its Art and Craft workshop at Waramanga. MARSS has been running an Arts and Crafts group for migrant and refugee women for over 5 years. This group is a women’s-only group that encourages an environment for women to meet and create a female support-network in Canberra. It has been such a great success that we moved the group to Waramanga in order to expand the group and welcome more women, with Minister Yvette Berry officially launching the new workspace. The theme for this year’s Refugee Week was With Courage Let Us All Combine and exhibiting the beautifully diverse arts, crafts and garments made during the Arts and Crafts group was an excel-lent way to celebrate. The Launch also saw a ‘Welcome to Country’ smoke ceremony conducted by Greg Chatfield, a live musical performances by Charles Koker from Sierra Leone and many speeches by former refugees, and of course the event concluded with a beautiful spread of food from around the world. On the 22

nd June, I also had the pleasure of chairing the Settlement Council of Australia (SCOA)

ACT State Consultation hosted by MARSS. SCOA is the national peak body representing migrant and refugee settlement agencies across Australia and holds annual consultations to discuss issues facing the settlement sector. The consultation was extremely successful and highlighted service providers’ dedication to improving settlement outcomes for migrants and refugees in the ACT. In July this year, I attended the UNHCR Annual Tripartite Consultation on Resettlement (ATCR) on behalf of the Settlement Council of Australia (SCOA) in Geneva, Switzerland. This is an annual event that provides an important forum for dialogue between governments, NGO’s and UNHCR in the area of resettlement. The consultation strives to produce outcomes through creating coherent and collaborative approaches to enhance global resettlement delivery and to address a wide range of policy and procedural matters, advocacy, capacity building, and operational support. It was a very enriching experience to meet delegates from other countries and to learn their different strate-gies when combatting refugee and migrant settlement issues.

I look forward to keeping you updated with future MARSS events and I hope to see you at the next

event!

- Dewani Bakkum, CEO

Message from the CEO

Message from the CEO

2

Humanitarian Settlement Services

Overview

The Humanitarian Settlement

Services (HSS) program delivers initial,

intensive settlement support to

humanitarian clients upon first arriving in

Australia. The program aims to assist

eligible clients to settle successfully in

Australia, participate effectively in the

Australian way of life and access services

available to the broader public. Services

available through HSS are designed to

equip clients with the skills and knowledge

they need to commence a new life in

Australia.

Want to help?

Do you own a property? Would you like to have

guaranteed tenants and guaranteed bond? The

opportunity now exists for those who have an al-

truistic nature and a sense of social justice to

make a positive difference through their residen-

tial property investment. If you are one of the

landlords in Canberra who believe that making

money and helping others are not mutually exclu-

sive concepts, and would like more information on

how to assist, please email hss3@marss.org.au.

or marss@marss.org.au

3

Volunteer Training for HSS

The HSS team was proud to recently

run a special volunteer training ses-

sion for newly inducted volunteers

with the HSS program. The unique

demands of working within the HSS

environment means that volunteers

need to be specially prepared and

trained in regards to the needs and

types of clients they will be dealing

with. The training was conducted by

MARSS staff members from the HSS

Team who were able to speak at

length about what was required and

expected of volunteers with the HSS

team, as well as the situations

they’ll be dealing with on a regular

basis. The event was highly success-

ful and has helped bolster the HSS

volunteering teams ranks.

HSS team member Shani with volunteer

training attendees

White Ribbon Training

4

Want to help? On the 29th of May MARSS hosted a

training workshop for culturally and lin-guistically diverse men on preventing

gender-based violence in their communi-ties. The training was conducted by White Ribbon Australia, was supported

by the Settlement Council of Australia and was hosted by the Migrant and Ref-ugee Settlement Services of the ACT in

association with The Migrant Resource

Centre of South Australia.

White Ribbon is an organisation which

aims to eliminate violence against wom-en by encouraging culture-change around the matter. The workshop pro-

moted the importance of involving men in discussions surrounding gender-

based violence prevention, increased the attendees’ ability to take action and work as allies against gender-based violence

and took steps to strengthen ties be-tween communities by creating a multi-cultural men’s network for positive role-

modelling.

Maria Dimopoulos, an expert on gender equality and violence against women in

culturally diverse communities hosted the training. Maria is internationally rec-ognised for her work and, in 2008 she

was appointed to the Commonwealth government National Council to Reduce

Violence Against Women and their Chil-dren. We were lucky to have such a well-recognised and influential speaker to

lead the day’s discussion!

The day was attended by 18 members of

the migrant and refugee community in

Canberra and was interesting and in-

formative way to begin and continue dis-

cussions surrounding gender-based vio-

lence in our communities. Congratula-

tions and thank you to all those who at-

tended.

A member of the AFP talking to attendees

Volunteering Information Night

5

On Wednesday the 24th of June, MARSS hosted an

information night for volunteers to help inform them

about the various programs that MARSS runs

throughout the organization, and the roles and op-

portunities for people interested in volunteering in

each program. The presentation was given by Zoe

Burns from the Community Development Program,

and had speakers Sandra Elhelw from the Humani-

tarian Settlement Services, Alexei Dettman from the

Program for After School Studies and Home Tutor

Program, and Fiona Eskandarinezhad.

The night was a very unique chance for attendees to

hear from each program co-ordinator directly about

their role and their program, as well as ask any

questions they had about volunteering with MARSS

and its programs directly to the most appropriate

parties. MARSS was happy to welcome many new

volunteers into its programs with a large turnout of

attendees, with the majority wanting to volunteer af-

ter the presentation. We’d like to thank all attendees

and presenters!

Attendees were given the opportunity to

talk to staff from all of MARSS’ programs MARSS was happy to receive a huge num-

ber of new volunteer applications immedi-

ately following the presentation

Settlement Grants Program

Information Sessions

Housing and Emergency Services

The SGP team recently held an infor-

mation session for clients on the 5th of

June, 2015 on Housing and Emergency

Services. The session was designed to

help relatively recent arrivals and new

Canberrans who were SGP clients to un-

derstand and appreciate the role of vari-

ous emergency services departments in

the ACT, as well as to understand ACT

Public housing, private rental options,

and the various agencies that can assist

clients to find accommodation. The SGP

team was very pleased with the high turn

out and the wealth of questions being

asked!

Cross Cultural Information Session

On the 26th of June, the SGP team held a Cross Cultural Information Session for Profes-

sionals. The session brought together a variety of participants from different community

services in Canberra including health care services, social services and employment agen-

cies. These agencies work with various clients from different cultural and linguistic back-

grounds and are seeking cultural insight so they can best service their clients.

Presenters included community leaders such as Charles Koker from the Sierra Leone Com-

munity, Site Taw from the Australia Mon Association, Anisa Hamed Faryabi from the Af-

ghan Community and Gattuak Guagave from the South Sudanese community. They shared

great cultural insight to the evening resenting on their cultural specific norms and values

from their communities and provided practical advice to professionals to best service their

clients while being mindful of cultural differences.

6

A representative from housing helping clients

understand their options

The session had a diverse range of speakers

Settlement Grants Program / Migrant Support Services

On Friday the 19th of June, MARSS was happy to celebrate Refugee Week with a vari-

ety of events, the highlight of which was an open day at Waramanga. In conjunction

with Refugee Week, the event also celebrated the launch of the art and craft group. It

began with guests meeting one another and arriving to view clothes that had been

crafted by the women of the MARSS sewing group.

The event offered visitors the chance to see the hard work that the women of the sew-

ing group had done, and gave attendees the chance to see a number of culturally di-

verse experiences including ‘Welcome to Country’ and smoke ceremony conducted by

Greg Chatfield, an incredibly lively musical number by Charles Koker, a moving

speech by Zoha Shahriaki of the sewing group, as well as Ali Ekhtiari and Dr Kim

Huynh from the ANU talking about his experiences a refugee. Yvette Berry MLA was

also kind enough to give a speech to the assembled guests and welcome all at-

tendees. The event concluded with all assembled parties being treated to a variety of

foods and snacks and given the chance to meet and greet one another.

7

Refugee Week Celebration

A musical number by Charles Koker Ladies of the Sewing Group with Yvette Ber-

ry MLA and Dewani Bakkum

Settlement Grants Program / Migrant Support Services

Want To Volunteer?

The SGP program needs volunteers to help our clients fill out application forms, such as Hous-

ing ACT applications for social housing, Centrelink forms and Immigration forms. These forms

can be daunting and complicated for some of MARSS’ clients to complete. Volunteers have ac-

cess to a translating service if the client has low English proficiency.

You do not need to have any previous experience to volunteer with us. For more information

contact Zoe Burns at cdp@marss.org.au or call MARSS reception on (02) 6248 8577.

Migrant Support Services Migrant Support Services (MSS) provides settlement services to migrants, refugees and asylum

seekers living in the ACT.

MSS is funded by the ACT Community Services Directorate - ACT Government and

clients are assisted with a range of settlement issues, including finding accommodation, employ-

ment, training and education services, family support, financial management and community en-

gagement.

In providing these services, MSS officers endeavor to link clients with mainstream,

service providers to provide a pathway to independence and a transition to life in Australia.

8

Settlement Grants Program

The Settlement Grants Program (SGP) is an integral part of MARSS' settlement services. We

provide free settlement assistance through casework, provision of information, referrals and ad-

vocacy services. To be eligible for SGP services the person must be a refugee or humanitarian

visa holder, newly-arrived migrant on Family Visa with low English proficiency. Those in some

other visa streams and newly emerging communities in the ACT are deemed to be SGP clients.

Clients accessing SGP services must be residing in Australia under five years.

9

It has been a big few months for the Harmony

Sports Program with a number of changes

since the last newsletter!

Brady McMullen has taken over from Alex Do-nato as the Harmony Sports Program Officer. MARSS has also established a men’s volley-ball team in the Volleyball ACT Spring Com-petition. Interest in the team has been strong. The team is performing with great knowledge and teamwork for their first season in the com-petition and is currently sitting mid-table and have had some strong wins against estab-lished competition! Team Harmony futsal team has also had a

good season, finishing fourth. The competition

this season has been very competitive so far.

Team Harmony is coming of the back of a 4-0

win over Cabbage last week, the ideal prepa-

ration for the 3rd place play-off game Vs.

Bendtner for the Ballon d’Or this Friday the

4th of September!

The MARSS Volleyball team in action

during their first game!

The MARSS Volleyball team receiving instruction

from referees before the game

Harmony Sports Program

10

The Team Harmony Basketball teams have been

playing well despite some recent upheaval due to

players moving interstate. The women’s team in

particular has been playing really well on Monday

nights and their confidence in each other is really

showing through their teamwork and ability to ad-

here to a game-plan, winning 40-7 against Wests

Magpies last week. With two games to go, the

women are currently sitting 3rd on the ladder and

are well placed to once again make the finals.

The Men’s A and B teams are currently looking to-

wards next season, developing players and team-

work in anticipation for the summer competition.

Team Harmony also recently held a social training

and game against the Ginninderra Rats U19’s

team. The game was a friendly affair and an ideal

way to expand Team Harmony’s recognition in the

Basketball community.

Coming up, MARSS also has a social game and

training slated to take place at 6:30pm on the 8th

of September at Dickson College with the Canber-

ra Basketball Meet-up group. If you are interested

in playing for Team Harmony next season, Team

Harmony Basketball is opening training to players

between the ages of 16-35. If you are keen to play

basketball come along to Dickson College Basket-

ball Court on Tuesdays at 6:30 for team training

and a social game.

For more information or to register to play for any

of MARSS’ sport teams, contact Brady at

sports@marss.org.au or the MARSS Reception on

(02) 62488 577.

The MARSS women’s team in

action!

Team Harmony training with

Ginninderra Rats U19’s

Harmony Sports Program

Community Development Program

11

MARSS Road Ready Program has been up and running since January this year, the

course is set on a 5 week structure to accommodate client’s work/life balance and

needs; this makes the course a slow but fruitful process. The learn to drive program

works with client groups of nationalities, rather than individuals from various groups,

the reason is not all clients form every group can speak English, so having 4 different

interpreters and English speaking clients would be a disaster.

By doing it this way, it offers a learning environment with fellow countrymen and a

translator provided by MARSS, this mitigates any further loss of time with multiple ex-

planations and translators trying to get the message across. The program has seen 30

successful clients receive their license, and take the next steps to prepare for our driv-

ing program. There will be another class starting in the coming weeks which will see

another 10 clients have the opportunity to receive their L’s.

Road Ready Program

MARSS’ Road Ready program has been running since the start of 2015. MARSS has seen a diverse

range of clients since the pilot commenced such as Columbian, Fijian, Chinese, Arabic and many

more ethnicities. MARSS currently has a program which is due to conclude in June. Once the current

courses are finished, new courses will commence. The course is free and consists of one lesson a

week for five weeks. Once clients complete the course they will have the opportunity to undergo the

road rules knowledge test. For further information please call 6248 8577 or email

marss@marss.org.au

Learn to Drive Program

Community Development Program

12

CDP’s Computer Class Graduates

MARSS has been running

computer classes for its cli-

ents since the beginning of

the year with a huge amount

of interest from a wide array

of demographics. Operating

under MARSS’ Community

Development Program (CDP),

MARSS is happy to announce

that it has now completed its

second round of the computer

course with a whole new class

of clients having proudly

graduated. The program is

currently part-way through its

third class of students for the

year, with important comput-

er skills such as Microsoft Of-

fice being taught.

There are still spots available

in the current computer class,

and if you feel that you or an-

yone could benefit from the

classes please don’t hesitate

to contact Zoe Burns on

cdp@marss.org.au or (02)

6248 8577.

Some proud graduating students

MARSS’ computer class in action

Canberra Becomes Refugee Welcome Zone

13

The momentous signing by Yvette Berry MLA

On June 18th, Canberra was able to proudly declare itself a ‘Refugee Wel-

come Zone’ after a symbolic ceremony took place in the Theo Notaras Mul-

ticultural Centre where Yvette Berry MLA took part in a ceremonial signing

of a declaration that made Canberra a ‘Refugee Welcome Zone’. While Can-

berra will join the ranks of other cities such as Melbourne, Sydney and Ho-

bart, the event was momentous as signing means that the ACT becomes

the first state or territory to become a ‘Refugee Welcome Zone’. The event

was proudly attended by MARSS staff members, as well as CEO Dewani

Bakkum and members of the board. There were several moving speeches,

as well as the proud declaration by attendees that ‘Real Australians Say

Welcome’, a tagline that is now being used to show support for refugees

throughout Australia. MARSS was proud and honoured to have been a part

of this historic event, and would like to thank Yvette Berry for helping Can-

berra show its support for migrants and refugees throughout the region.

Canberra Becomes Refugee Welcome Zone

14

Attendees showing that ‘Real Australi-

ans Say Welcome’

MARSS CEO Dewani Bakkum along with

board members and MARSS staff.

MARSS Board Member Raewyn Bastion

was proud to be one of the key attendees

Yvette Berry talked to all attendees

about the significance and purpose of

the declaration

Mapping Our Journeys

15

MAPPING OUR JOURNEYS EXHIBITION OPENING

Brendan Smyth MLA talking about the im-

portance of migrant and refugee communities

On Monday the 1st of June MARSS hosted the opening of the Mapping Our Journeys': Celebrat-ing Our Diversity art exhibition. It was a wonderful night and a fun way to celebrate the artistic contri-bution of the ACT’s migrant com-

munities.

The exhibition, which was on dis-play until the 1st of July 2015, featured artworks from a variety of mediums including painting, clothing, crafts, textiles and jewel-lery sourced from range of local contributors such as the MARSS Arts and Craft group, the Canber-ra Russian School and the Tug-

geranong Arts Centre.

Mapping Our Journeys’ brought to-

gether works from artists from a

variety of professional and cultural

backgrounds. This diversity was

apparent at the exhibition opening

as it was attended by over 50 Can-

berrans, all of which came to see

the important local artistic contri-

bution which migrant artists have.

16

The evening was curated by the wonderful Lynne Johnson, who is also the Sewing Coordinator at MARSS. Lynne did a wonderful job devoting her time and energy to curating the exhibition which, by all accounts, was a tremendous success. The opening was attend-ed by Brendan Smyth MLA, ACT Legislative Assembly, Chad Ryan of the Department of Social Ser-vices, which supported the exhibi-tion and Lindsay Burge from the Office of Multicultural Affairs. Don Nordblom provided an interesting and enjoyable musical background to the night’s proceedings on his

Oud.

Brendan Smyth MLA, touched up-on the importance which migrant and refugee communities have in driving cultural and artistic change and innovation and the importance this can have locally, nationally and globally. The narra-tives of migration, culture and per-severance presented throughout Mapping Our Journeys' are worthy of celebration, not only for the in-dividual stories told, but also for the way in which they allow us to broaden our understanding of our

own communities.

MARSS would like to thank all the

artists and attendees who came

out for the opening in support of

the exciting and passionate artistic

work of members of ACT migrant

and refugee communities.

CEO Dewani Bakkum with opening night at-

tendees

Department of Employment Fundraiser

17

MARSS has recently been happy to an-

nounce that it is the Department of Em-

ployment’s graduate fundraising commit-

tee’s chosen charity for this year.

Throughout the year the Department of

Employment will be running a number of

events throughout the year and the fund

will be subsequently used to fund several

vital projects in MARSS’ community de-

velopment program.

The Community Development Program

runs several projects which aim to assist

migrants and refugees in a number of

ways such as after school studies, lan-

guage assistance, and driving lessons.

The CDP program has recently made

even further efforts to assist MARSS cli-

ents with finding employment and is

heavily reliant on fundraising and

grants.

On Friday the 8th of May, the department

hosted a happy hour to help begin rais-

ing funds for MARSS. Sandra Elhelw

from MARSS was able to attend and

meet with the various graduates and dis-

cuss MARSS and what the fundraising

would help contribute towards. She also

had the chance to meet with Vicki Run-

dle (Group Manager of the People Group)

and Renee Leon (Secretary of the Depart-

ment of Employment) and was very

pleased to see how enthusiastic they

were about MARSS and the work we un-

dertake.

MARSS would like to give a big thank

you to the Department of Employment

by honouring us as their chosen charity.

We’re looking forward to future events!

Department of Employment graduates Amy

Roberts and Sacha Stokes with Sandra Elhelw

from MARSS

Sandra with Renee Leon, Secretary of the De-

partment of Employment

18

UNHCR Conference

I was delighted to attend the UNHCR NGO

Consultations and Annual Tripartite Consul-

tations on Resettlement this month. I fo-

cused primarily on the ATCR component of

the conference, as the bilateral meetings

were distributed among an Australian dele-

gation of about 20 participants. The delega-

tion was lead by Paul Power of RCOA. It was

a good opportunity to observe, listen and fa-

ther information on refugee resettlement in-

ternationally. The majority of questioning

throughout the conference was undertaken

by other delegates.

The ATCR involved 230 delegates from 28

countries, and discussed the UNHCR’s reset-

tlement priorities for 2016. At the present

moment there are over 1,153,300 refugees

worldwide and 111,397 are resettled. Aus-

tralia is in fact one of the top three resettle-

ment countries, behind America and Canada.

The UNHCR’s target is 130,000.

While I was in Geneva I also had the oppor-

tunity to promote the International Settle-

ment Conference. I distributed the promo-

tional material during the week, and received

a great deal of interest in the International

Conference. The Norweigan Red Cross who

organised the ATCR took a particular interest

and will also be promoting the conference in-

ternationally.

- Dewani Bakkum, MARSS CEO

MARSS Eid Celebrations

On Friday the 24th of July, MARSS was ex-

tremely happy to host it’s annual Eid cele-

bration. The night began with guests slowly

arriving whilst the ‘Takbir Eid’ played over

the speakers. There was a huge number of

guests arriving from a variety of Muslim, and

non-Muslim communities helping demon-

strate the multiculturalism and acceptance

of the event itself and MARSS. MARSS was

proud to host members of the Sudanese,

Burmese, Afghani, Iranian, Iraqi and other

communities. In addition, MARSS was very

proud to have Alistair Coe MLA attending.

The night was opened by Hashimat Mir from

MARSS, and was followed by a speech by

Imam Konda who helped highlight the im-

portance of Eid within Islam, as well as the

importance of multiculturalism and coopera-

tion within society today. After this, we had a

musical number by Donald Nordblom who

was able to play a number of traditional Mid-

dle Eastern songs on his Oud.

MARSS Eid Celebrations

After the presentations and speeches were con-

cluded, the night moved on to what proved to

be its most popular component; the feast.

MARSS staff ,with co-ordination by their CEO

Dewani Bakkum, had spent the day preparing

a huge amount of Indian curry, Middle Eastern

deserts, and other food options for guests. The

food proved to be extremely popular as guests

lined up throughout the hall to come get sec-

ond and third servings.

The night ultimately proved to be a huge suc-

cess and MARSS was very happy to host such

a varied and multicultural experience. MARSS

would like to give a big thank you to all at-

tendees and presenters!

Upcoming Events

If you would like more information about any of these events please contact MARSS on

6248 8577 or email marss@marss.org.au

21

Legal Advice Clinic

Want to receive free legal advice by Legal Aid ACT?

MARSS now hosts a legal advice clinic for clients on Fridays, on a forthnightly basis.

Legal Aid ACT provides this service to clients who wish to receive legal advice

If you need legal assistance and representation but cannot afford a private lawyer,

please book a half hour appointment by calling MARSS reception on (02) 6248 8577) or

through your caseworker at MARSS( eligibility criteria apply).

MARSS Team Harmony Basketball Games. Women: Monday and Tuesday. Men: Tuesday,

Wednesday & Thursday.

MARSS AGM 9th September 5:00 to 6:30pm

Gardening Round Table, 11th September, 36 Damala St, Waramanga

Job Ready Information Session, Function Room, Theo Notaras Multicultural Centre, 17th

of September, 1:30pm to 3:30pm

LAC Meeting, 7th October, 10:30am

HSS Orientation Session, Function Room, Theo Notaras Multicultural Centre, 12th

October, 2pm to 6pm

Dewali Celebrations at MARSS: 6th of November

Christmas Celebrations at MARSS: 17th of December

More Services

Translating and Interpreting provided

Staff members at MARSS are often fluent in languages other than English but if a staff member

doesn’t speak your language we are able to easily access Translating and Interpreting Services by

telephone (or, if necessary, in person) to facilitate clear communication with our clients.

Street Law

Street Law is a project delivered by the Welfare Rights & Legal Centre in partnership with the Abo-riginal Legal Service and Legal Aid ACT. Street Law provides legal advice and representation to people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. They can also provide legal advice and casework for family related issues. Street Law will be visiting MARSS by appointment only. Feel free to drop by or book an appointment at MARSS reception.

Justice of the Peace (JP) Services

MARSS is continuing to work with local Justices of the Peace to provide JP services for our clients.

This is a completely free service so please do not hesitate to make your appointment.

Emergency Relief Fund

We provide assistance to all of our clients who need help with food vouchers or bus tickets.

Through the Emergency Relief Fund, MARSS provides clients with emergency support in times of

financial difficulty. If you require assistance please contact 6248 8577 to make an appointment with

one of our officers.

Community Information

Regular information and educational sessions are held regularly at MARSS. To find out when the

next session will be held, please call 6248 8577.

22

Migrant and Refugee Settlement

Services of the ACT Inc.

Theo Notaras Multicultural Centre

2nd Floor North Building

180 London Circuit, Canberra City

Phone: (02) 6248 8577

Fax: (02) 6257 7655

Website: www.marss.org.au

Email: marss@marss.org.au

Entrance to

MARSS

To find out more about MARSS services or to make an

appointment, please call MARSS on

6248 8577.