Finding place and belonging in Australia RESIDENT PROFILE
In 2015, Tadros and his two teenage children Carla and Youssef arrived in Australia from Egypt. “People who come to Australia, they are looking for three things. They are looking to live in a safe place, live in a lawful country, and to belong. To be accepted and contribute.” Tadros explained. One of his early memories is walking through our city streets and noticing the di erent languages on street signs. “What a beauty… I said, ‘wow.’ Maybe I can, one day, express myself through my own language here [Arabic].” In 2017, Tadros and his children were granted permanent residency in Australia. In 2019, Tadros received a call from Housing Choices Australia, o ering them a home in North Melbourne. Transitioning from their previous home in St Albans to community housing in North Melbourne, Tadros found new opportunities to connect. “When you want to make a home, you want to know - who are your neighbours? So, I started to connect with people here. From there, I
started connecting with the broader community around me.” As an architect and visual artist, Tadros also engaged in local art classes, food banks, and galleries. It was this work that opened the door to exhibiting his work ‘Home’ at the Melbourne Immigration Museum. “ I am so grateful for the spaces [in Melbourne] that are available for people to display their art. Housing Choices already support this with their yearly art competition… it's an amazing project. ” For Tadros, the concept of Place and Belonging can be interpreted as a harmonious relationship between oneself, the community, and the services provided. He describes his experience with Housing Choices as a happy marriage. “I think the success of Housing Choices is that they try to follow up on your needs. I am so grateful for all the help I get from them. I am keen to keep this relationship going because it gives me security and the feeling that I belong.”
I am keen to keep this relationship going because it gives me security and the feeling that I belong.
22 | Housing Choices Australia
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