South East Community Links

Today marked an exciting milestone for the settlement sector at the launch of the Settlement Leading Partners Network (SLPN) website at Dandenong Civic Centre, where settlement process and service guide was developed as a significant outcomes of the SLPN.

Born out of a real need identified at ground level, the Guide was initiated in response to frontline workers navigating complex, fragmented systems on behalf of newly arrived migrants and refugees — often without a shared roadmap.

What followed was a first-of-its-kind collaboration between SECL ,Settlement Council of Australia, Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR), Chisholm Institute, WISE Employment and Services Australia, and Australian Department of Home Affairs

The launch was virtually introduced by Julian Hill MP, Assistant Minister for Multicultural Affairs, and included an inspiring address from Maria Dimopoulos, CEO of SCOA. Katie Sheargold of Local Jobs SEMP walked attendees through the new website, before our CEO Peter McNamara facilitated a panel discussion with representatives from across the partnership:

Sean Teer, DEWR
Katie Sheargold, Local Jobs Program Support Officer
Vicki Selimi and Lu Zhang, Services Australia
Kylie Reid, Chisholm AMEP
Mary Gyurcsik, WISE Employment
Ruwanthi Mudannayaka, SECL

If you work in settlement, employment, education or government — explore the Settlement Processes and Services Guide and start using it with your team. Built by frontline practitioners, for frontline practitioners.

Access the new website - settlementleadingpartnersnetwork.org

Thank you to all partners, and to Mudannayaka whose leadership helped bring this vision to life.

Goals, Cheers and Community 👏 🫶 Refugee Week 2026

We just got back from the City in The Community Football Tournament, a wonderful celebration hosted by Melbourne City FC award winning charitable arm City in The Community, in Dandenong, bringing together community groups and service providers for a morning of football, fun and friendly competition. ⚽⚽👏

AMES Australia, CMY, African Youth Alliance, SECL, Melbourne Afghan Soccer Association and City in the Community's Young Leaders were amongst those who took to the pitch.

In true World Cup spirit, there were no red cards ....just plenty of red faces! 😅 Nothing like a bit of team rivalry to warm up this cold winter. The energy was high, the cheers were loud and it was a joy to see players from across the community come together on the pitch.

Well done to all who participated, and a HUGE thank you to Melbourne City Football Club for hosting such a fun tournament and for using the beautiful game ⚽ to bring our community together.

Collective Threads. Collective Stories. 🪡🪡📚🌍

It is especially significant to celebrate Refugee Week this year, as it coincides with Australia marking an important milestone in its history — welcoming one million refugees.

This achievement has strengthened Australia's reputation as a generous and compassionate nation, while also enhancing global confidence in its commitment to supporting refugees and migrants. Although Australia began stepping up to share responsibility for addressing global humanitarian crises as early as 1947, the resettlement of refugees has never been merely an act of charity. Instead, refugees have played a vital role in shaping the nation, forming the backbone of its social and economic fabric. Their contributions have enriched the country and reinforced Australia's identity as a proud, diverse and multicultural society.

As we mark Refugee Week, we want to shine a light on a recent project we are incredibly proud of — the Collective Threads Launch. A group of Afghan refugee women, supported through a collaboration between our SETS settlement team and Space2B, a social enterprise based in St Kilda, were trained to create beautiful handmade household craft items. For many, it was the first time their work was sold in a retail market setting.

We are proud of the work our Settlement and Inclusion team do every day to ensure every refugee and migrant in our community feels seen, supported and welcomed. 👏🫶

Every day, our team at South East Community Links is privileged to hear the stories of refugees and migrants - stories of settlement, hardship, resilience and courage. It is a profound part of the work we do.

In the spirit of this year's Refugee Week theme, A Million Stories, we asked two of our own team members to share theirs.

Emily is our Family Violence and Capacity Building Coordinator. The daughter of Vietnamese refugees, Emily has spent her career improving family violence services for migrant and refugee women — leading programs that build the capacity of both community members and service providers to recognise, respond and refer.

Lida is our Family Violence Project Officer. Lida arrived in Australia in 2024 with her family as refugees from Afghanistan. Before coming to Australia, she worked with BOSCO — a UNHCR partner in India — as a Gender-Based Violence Officer. Lida speaks seven languages, delivering family violence prevention programs directly in community languages and ensuring no woman is left without support because of a language barrier.

Two members of our team. Two remarkable stories. And a shared commitment to making sure every person in our community is seen, heard and supported.

This Refugee Week, we celebrate the chosen theme 'A Million Stories' — one million refugees welcomed by Australia since World War II.

Every week at South East Community Links, our teams work alongside refugees and people seeking asylum — helping families find their feet, build their skills, connect with community, and contribute meaningfully to the place they now call home. Across 90+ cultures and languages, we are proud to play a part in so many of those stories.

We believe deeply in building capability and creating the conditions for every person to thrive, not just settle, but truly belong and enrich the communities around them.

💬 "Behind every number is a name, a story, a life rebuilt. Australia's million humanitarian visas are a million acts of courage — and a reminder that inclusion and creating a sense of belonging is how communities truly thrive."

— Peter McNamara, CEO, South East Community Links

Every person counts. 💙
🗓️ Refugee Week 2026 | 14–20 June

Today, our Head of Housing and Homelessness Marcia Harkins and Community Connectors Team Leader Damien Anderson took to the stage at the VAADA - The Victorian Alcohol and Drug Association Service Providers Conference to share the story of our Community Connectors program.

The presentation highlighted how Community Connectors work alongside people facing complex challenges, helping them navigate support systems, build trust and improve their wellbeing outcomes. It was also an opportunity to showcase our partnerships with Metro Trains Melbourne , Victoria Police and which have been central to connecting with people where they are and providing early intervention support to those experiencing homelessness, financial hardship and mental health challenges.

Thank you to for the opportunity to share our work and learn alongside others committed to building stronger, more inclusive communities.

Supporting communities to respond to family and sexual violence starts with knowledge and that means meeting people where they are.

We were recently invited to deliver an in-language training session on Responding to Disclosures of Family and Sexual Violence for volunteers at the Cambodian Association of Victoria. Participants were keen to learn how to support community members experiencing family violence or sexual assault and how to connect them with the right services.

The workshop was co-facilitated with the support of CAV Director Soheang Pak, whose guidance helped make the session both meaningful and culturally responsive.

Thank you to Soheang and the entire Cambodian Association of Victoria team for a wonderful and insightful afternoon.

This work is part of our Working Together: Strengthening Family and Sexual Violence Support with Multicultural Communities program, funded by Family Safety Victoria.

Behind every confident decision is someone who was given the right information.

As part of Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Month, we've been running some workshops at the Community Hub in Springvale Rise Primary School.

We know that preventing family violence isn't possible unless we equip women with the tools they need to make independent decisions. This series of workshops focuses on building the capacity of migrant and refugee mums to access local services, know their rights, and support each other.

Here is our Financial Capability Worker, Paul, sharing some practical information about:

📝 navigating utility bills
💵 how to access concessions
🔌 utility relief grants
📝 bill smoothing
🔌 and ways to save money on energy bills

By the end of the session, participants felt more confident if they had to contacting their utility providers, interpreting services, the Energy and Water Ombudsman, as well as financial capability and counselling services at SECL.

Thank you to every community member who has come forward and taken part in these workshops. Your willingness to engage, learn and support one another is what makes this program possible. 🙂

More workshops are coming in the weeks ahead — stay tuned for details.

This work is part of our Working Together: Strengthening Family and Sexual Violence Support with Multicultural Communities program, funded by Family Safety Victoria.

Struggling with water, energy or gas bills?

Every second Tuesday of the month, the team from the Energy and Water Ombudsman Victoria (EWOV) visits our Dandenong office to provide free, face-to-face support - pictured here with our Housing Capacity Building Practitioner, Craig B.

Whether you're experiencing utility hardship or have an unresolved issue with a utility company, the EWOV team can help.

On-site interpreters are available in Dari, with phone interpreters available for all other languages. Everyone is welcome.

To book an appointment, call us on 03 9791 8344 or email [email protected]