NINE asylum seeking families are to be relocated to Collie later this month.
The Department of Immigration and Citizenship confirmed yesterday that families and employment services provider Communicare had leased nine houses in Collie for the families.
The department's WA public affairs officer, Paul Jenkins, said the families had been processed and now had bridging visas.
Mr Jenkins said as bridging visa holders they were free to go wherever they wanted to go after spending six weeks in Collie. Communicare chief executive officer Martine Pitt said she hoped the Collie community would welcome the families into the town.
"We do not believe they will cause significant community impact," she said.
"You may see more people from multicultural, non-English speaking backgrounds in the local shops and parks and most will be eager to participate positively," she said.
Ms Pitt said the new arrivals would bring a "richness of culture and knowledge".
"It would be wonderful if Collie became a town which welcomed and celebrated this initiative," she said.
Communicare is providing a support service for the families.
"Through this program, Communicare will support their health and well-being for six weeks," Ms Pitt said.
She said after six weeks, the new arrivals would be expected to manage within the community, have their children in school, be working towards finding long-term housing, learn English and settle into the community. "The clients are mainly families," she said. "Very few, if any, single men will be settled in Collie."
Ms Pitt emphasised that the families were not in a community detention program.
"These people have already gone through a thorough screening process before getting a bridging visa," Ms Pitt said.
"They have been assessed to be of good character and do not pose a security risk.
"During this program, clients may attend to health matters, look for accommodation, search for contacts they might have in Australia and work with their immigration agents to process visa applications."
Communicare, which is a non-government organisation, is on the lookout for volunteers to help settle the new arrivals.
"Volunteers can provide support in various ways, including assisting in English classes or simply be-friending them," Ms Pitt said.
"Language is always a big issue as English is a difficult language to learn."
