Circle of Friends Joins the Movement
Circle of Friends Australia has always stood for compassion, kindness and practical support for asylum seekers and refugees. We’re excited to share that we are now joining a growing national movement as a Supporting Community Organisation with Community Refugee Sponsorship Australia (CRSA).
What is Community Sponsorship?
Community sponsorship is a powerful model that enables everyday citizens to play an active role in in welcoming and supporting newly arriving refugees. Instead of leaving settlement solely to government services, local volunteer groups provide hands-on assistance, friendship, and connection. Community sponsorship is not new or unique to Australia. It is part of a global movement that began in Canada and now spans countries worldwide in Europe, the UK and South America.
About CRSA and the CRISP Program
CRSA currently leads the community sponsorship movement in Australia through the Community Refugee Integration and Settlement Pilot (CRISP), launched in 2022. This program has been made a permanent part of Australia’s humanitarian migration program by the government.
The CRISP empowers groups of volunteers – called Community Supporter Groups – made up of 5 or more individuals from the same local area, to provide practical support to a refugee household throughout their first 12 months in Australia. This involves meeting the newcomers at the airport and assisting with things like finding housing, registering for Centrelink and Medicare, local orientation to the community and support with education and employment. Refugees are referred by UNHCR and accepted for settlement via the CRISP on the basis of not having existing links in Australia.
Watch the short video below showing one family’s journey to safety and belonging through the CRISP, welcomed to Airey’s Inlet on Victoria’s Surf Coast.
Since its inception, almost 900 refugee newcomers have arrived in Australia through the CRISP, welcomed by over 180 Community Supporter Groups in every state and territory, including Circle of Friends members in South Australia.
Circle of Friends Joins the Cause
By joining CRSA as a Supporting Community Organisation, Circle of Friends adds our voice to the call for compassionate, community-driven responses to refugee settlement. Together, we can amplify the message that welcoming refugees strengthens our communities.
Learn More & Get Involved
CRSA will be visiting Adelaide in February 2026 for a series of community engagement events – we will share these details with you as they become available and encourage our members to attend an event to learn more and see how you can get involved.
In the meantime, we encourage you to consider forming a Community Support Group to welcome refugee newcomers through the CRISP. To learn more about the CRISP and what’s involved, visit the CRSA website.
For questions or more information, contact the CRSA team directly by email.
Image: Perth Community Refugee Support Group welcome Josephine Taban, originally from South Sudan, at Perth airport in December 2023.