User:Eyedubya/Asylum Seeker Welcome Centre

The Asylum Seeker Welcome Centre (ASWC) offers a safe and welcoming space for asylum seekers in Victoria, Australia, most of whom are ineligible to access the services of mainstream migrant services such as Migrant Resource Centres. The ASWC is located in the inner-city suburb of Brunswick, located behind the St Andrews Uniting Church, at the corner of Sydney Road and Merri Street. The ASWC was established in mid 2002 and is a not for profit organisation, run by volunteers. Its primary function is to provide information and referrals to asylum seekers, thus facilitating a range of linkages to community and other services related to all aspects of asylum seekers’ situation. The formation of the ASWC was an outcome of the Refugee Forum hosted by Moreland City Council on 27 September 2001 in partnership with Amnesty International.

The ASWC is one of a small number of services in Melbourne that provide a safe and welcoming place for asylum seekers in the metropolitan area, the others being Foundation House (also in Brunswick), the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (North Melbourne), Brigidine Asylum Seekers' Project (Albert Park) and The Asylum Seekers Centre (Dandenong). It also aims to raise public awareness of the needs and issues facing such people. The only service specifically targetted to asylum seekers' needs in Sydney is the Asylum Seekers Centre.