Six months ago, Mina* arrived in Australia with her two children and one suitcase.
It was not a journey of choice, but of necessity. She left behind her home in Iran, and her husband, who remains separated from the family as conditions continue to change. When she arrived in Australia, she was pregnant, exhausted and trying to make sense of an unfamiliar system while caring for two young children.
“I still carry the feeling that those goodbyes may not be temporary,” Mina says. “We packed one suitcase and left everything we know behind.”
Like many people seeking asylum, Mina’s arrival did not immediately mean safety or stability. It meant uncertainty. About housing, income, healthcare and what the future might hold.
When she arrived, she had no fixed place to stay, no income and no clear pathway to support. Someone told her about the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC), so she went there directly from the airport.
What followed was immediate, practical support: food, nappies, healthcare, transport support and emergency accommodation. For Mina, this wasn’t just help in a moment of crisis, it was the beginning of stability.
“The ASRC nurses helped me during my pregnancy and supported me to see doctors at hospital, even without Medicare,” she says.
Today, thanks to the ASRC’s Housing Program, Mina and her children have a small home. It is simple, but it is safe. Her children can sleep through the night. But like many families seeking asylum, uncertainty still sits in the background. About the future, about separation and about what comes next.
Mina’s story is not an isolated one. It reflects a broader reality for many people seeking asylum in Australia, particularly during winter, when the cost of living pushes already vulnerable families further to the edge.
At the ASRC, this season means more families needing food relief, more people unable to afford medical care and more individuals at risk of homelessness. It means parents making impossible choices between heating and meals, rent and medication.
But it also reflects something else: community.
For 25 years, the ASRC has supported people seeking asylum through essential services including food, healthcare, legal support, education and advocacy. What began as a grassroots response, has grown into one of Australia’s largest organisations supporting people seeking asylum and refugees.
Importantly, none of this work happens alone. It is powered by volunteers, healthcare professionals, legal teams, donors and everyday people who choose to show compassion and welcome to people rebuilding their lives.
Winter brings these realities into sharper focus. It also brings an opportunity: to ensure no one is left to face it alone.
Mina’s story is one of many, and is a powerful reminder that behind every headline about refugees and migrants are real people navigating extraordinary challenges with courage and resilience.
And behind every one of those stories is a community that makes recovery possible.
As winter deepens, the ASRC Winter Appeal is calling on the community to help provide food, healthcare, emergency relief and legal support to people seeking asylum who would otherwise have nowhere to turn.
Because safety should not depend on circumstance. And dignity should not be conditional.
To support the ASRC Winter Appeal, visit asrc.org.au.
*To protect their privacy and safety, the person’s name and identifying details have been changed.
