Meet The Perth Couple Who Turned Their First Home Into Group Housing For Refugees

One of the many hideous side-effects of the Paris terror attacks that claimed 129 lives last week is the anger and suspicion being directed at fellow victims of extremist violence; namely, the millions of refugees fleeing the Syrian civil war for safe havens in Europe, the United States and other developed nations.

While federal government figures like Malcolm Turnbull, Christopher Pyne and George Brandis have emphasised the importance of not demonising the wrong people for the attacks in Paris, some of their state counterparts haven’t been so constructive. In a Facebook post last week that reads like Pauline Hanson fell into a word processor, State Nationals MP Andrew Fraser went on a rant about “anarchists” and “Islamic boat people” before urging the Prime Minister to “close the borders” to refugees, seemingly unaware that Australia is surrounded by several oceans.

Abroad, responses from leaders have ranged from the inspiring to the unhinged. While 30 US governors have vowed not to allow Syrian refugees to settle in their states and Republican Presidential candidates scramble to lay out the “toughest” policy against a group of homeless war victims, France itself has pledged to take 30,000 Syrian refugees over the next two years.

Against this backdrop, combating the fear and hysteria so often attached to refugees and new migrants becomes vital, which is where stories like that of the First Home Project come in. Back in 2012, Perth couple Teresa Lee and Jarrod McKenna decided to buy their first home; a difficult thing to do in a city not exactly known for the affordability of its housing, but considering the house they chose was a former meth lab they probably got a decent deal.

Rather than paying it off by taking out a mortgage or renting it at extortionate rates to desperate uni students, they decided to try something different: turning their new digs into collective housing for refugees. Supported by the likes of Father Bob Maguire and World Vision CEO Tim Costello, they raised $600,000 in crowdfunded loans and donations to buy a house outright, and the First Home Project was born in earnest.

Three years on, and Lee and Jarrod still live in their converted former meth lab, along with 17 refugees. Meanwhile, the First Home Project continues to help new arrivals find their feet in the community, providing low-cost rental housing that enables refugees to establish a rental history and have stable accommodation until they get settled. The project is the subject of an upcoming episode of the ABC’s Compass this Sunday, profiling the couple’s first home and Love Makes A Way, the Christian social justice movement that aims to change Australia’s policies towards asylum seekers and refugees.

It’s the kind of story that could do a lot to allay fears in the community towards refugees looking to settle, especially in the wake of the Paris attacks. Earlier this week a family in the NSW town of Glen Innes that announced plans to do something similar, only to suffer threats and abuse from other residents. As regional local councils prepare to accept the first Syrian arrivals, showcasing these kinds of examples will only become more important.

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‘Love Makes A Way’ premieres on the ABC at 6:30pm, Sunday November 22.

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Feature image via the First Home Project.