Welcome • Home • Community
The Heartland Project connects LGBTIQA+ people seeking asylum in search of a home with LGBTIQA+ hosts and flatmates in Sydney.
Here you can view or advertise safe, affordable, and inclusive rooms for LGBTIQA+ people seeking asylum in Sydney. You can also find a list of relevant services and links to community events.
About Us
The Heartland Project works to transform the lives of LGBTIQA+ people seeking asylum through building authentic, inclusive connections with LGBTIQA+ hosts and flatmates in Sydney.
Here at Heartland, we know that listening to people with lived experience enriches hearts and minds, breaks down barriers and informs responsive and effective solutions to the issues faced by LGBTIQA+ people seeking asylum.
We are proudly led by people with lived-experience, and that means that the unique needs, concerns and aspirations of LGBTIQA+ people seeking asylum are always front and centre.
How it Works
How it Works
1
Register
Registering is easy and free. All you need to do is answer a few short questions.
2
View or Post
Login and view available rooms and homes in Sydney. If you’d like to host, you can post your offering on our listings page.
3
Connect
Found a room you love? Click ‘connect’ and contact your host. Hosts will receive an email and you can arrange to meet.
4
Community
Find information and resources for LGBTIQA+ people seeking asylum, and links to LGBTIQA+ community events and cultural activities.
Being LGBTIQ+ and Seeking Safety
In many parts of the world, it is not safe to be LGBTIQA+. People with diverse sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression or who are intersex face physical and sexual violence, harassment, and discrimination. In 70 countries homosexuality is still illegal, and in 10 it is punishable by death. In some places, to be transgender means your life expectancy is only 35 years.
For these reasons, LGBTIQA+ people are forced to take risky journeys and seek safety in other countries, and some arrive in Australia. LGBTIQA+ people seeking asylum walk amongst us in our community, but are not often seen or heard.
“There is no place like home. But finding a home in Australia is not as easy as you think. What do you do when you are not accepted by your community, or your religion? I am always thinking, where do I belong?”
Unlike other people who flee their homes and arrive in Australia, many LGBTIQA+ people seeking asylum adjust to life in Australia on their own. Often, services fail to respond to their needs, and they are excluded from the immigrant or religious communities that provide a social safety net.
In addition, homophobia, transphobia and discrimination based on employment and/or visa status means they cannot find safe and affordable accommodation. Without a support network, LGBTIQA+ people seeking asylum often end up homeless and alone.
Our Supporters
The Heartland Project acknowledges the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nations, the First Peoples of Australia, whose land we meet and work on today. We acknowledge that we are settlers on unceded stolen land and support the rights and aspirations of First Nations Peoples across Country toward self-determination and full sovereignty.