Case Study: A village of support for Divya

Indian-born asylum seeker Divya* had thought leaving the stresses of her mother country would bring a life of opportunity to her family in Australia.

Sadly, for this mum of two kids, geographical shifts couldn’t help her escape the abusive situation she was experiencing at home and she found herself in a local women’s shelter.

Divya was lacking in two key areas – financial support and confidence. She needed more than a job – she needed the support of a village.

EPlus Local – a specialist service provided by The Salvation Army and Employment Plus – takes a very holistic approach to unique groups of job seekers (like asylum seekers) who often have complex social issues to work through on their journey to gaining employment.

E Plus Local Humanitarian Job Coach, Nibras Jasim, began to consider the ways she could help Divya manager her immediate worries and look towards creating a more positive future for herself.

First off, EPlus Local helped her with some basic living cost items – fuel, clothes for herself and the kids and essential items to set up home.

To begin helping Divya build her confidence back up, Nibras referred her to the Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors (STARTTS) for dedicated mental health support.

Naturally, the team also started to get Divya ready for work so that she could continue to build her own confidence and become financially independent.

Divya started working in a restaurant, which was a great step forward for her, but not quite enough to get her settled in her own place.

So EPlus Local helped her access $3,000 from the Red Cross’ Women and Children Fund to fund the bond for her new home.

They also helped Divya get further assistance from the Migrant Resource Centre, which helped her cover her first six months of rent as she kept building her own savings.

“The village of support is out there – sometimes you just need the right people to help you connect to those services. Especially when you are living in a high state of stress, like fleeing a domestic violence situation.

“We look forward to seeing Divya and her children continue to flourish in their new safe home with a whole new world of opportunities in front of them,” says Nibras.

*not her real name