In 2012, Adnan arrived in Australia at the tender age of 12 after travelling all the way from Afghanistan with his mother.
Now 23, Adnan is a proud homeowner and establishing a career as a chef.
“It wasn’t easy before here – before Australia. There were lots of difficulties in every section of life,” he said.
“We had nothing at all really – just a few clothes and a couple of things.”
As a young boy, Adnan and his mother fled their home country for Pakistan where they spent five years before eventually securing refugee status and making it to Australia.
After initially arriving in Geelong, Adnan and his mother moved to South Australia. They managed to find a private rental, but with little to no income and support, they began experiencing significant financial and emotional stress.
“We were renting for seven years – we changed houses multiple times,” he said.
“We were in a private rental, but it was too expensive. At the time I was studying at high school and it was all too hard.”
After shifting between a couple of rentals, the family were provided a long-term AnglicareSA community housing property in Adelaide’s north.
The lower rent eased the financial burden, enabling Adnan to focus on school and eventually find employment in the kitchen of an Afghani restaurant.
After three years of living in community housing, in 2019 Adnan and his mother had saved enough to buy their first home.
“We learnt the hard way, but you just need to be a little wise, and know what to spend and what to save,” he said.
“If someone wants to improve their life, we are living proof that they can.”
For Adnan, the future is bright – he remained open when asked whether he hopes to run his own restaurant one day.
“Who knows? anything is possible,” he said.
“Right now, I just want to keep working hard and pay the mortgage on time.”
AnglicareSA Executive General Manager Housing, Michelle Gegenhuber, said it is inspiring to see tenants transition along the ‘housing continuum’ from social housing through to home ownership.
“Adnan and his mother are one of 12 AnglicareSA community housing tenants who have gone on to purchase their own home in the last 12 months,” she said.
“Their story highlights how access to social housing and a safe stable home can empower people to overcome challenging circumstances, achieve financial stability, and ultimately, improve their livelihoods.”
What is the housing continuum?
The ‘housing continuum’ is a concept used by policy makers to consider the broad range of housing responses available to people as they move through their housing journey at different stages in their life (eg. from temporary crisis accommodation through to supported accommodation, social housing, private rental or home ownership). It enables housing options to be tailored to help a range of individuals and families to access affordable and appropriate housing that meet their needs and their level of independence. The concept enables policy makers to move away from a one-size-fits-all strategy of providing social housing, towards the range of housing options available to different households on a continuum as they stabilise and increase their independence.
Refugee Week 2021
Refugee Week is Australia’s peak annual activity to inform the public about refugees and celebrate positive contributions made by refugees to Australian society.
It provides a platform to create better understanding between different communities and to encourage successful integration enabling refugees to live in safety and to continue making a valuable contribution to Australia.