CARAD - Centre for Asylum Seekers, Refugees, and Detainees

What CARAD - Centre for Asylum Seekers, Refugees, and Detainees does

CARAD - Centre for Asylum Seekers, Refugees, and Detainees is an independent, community-based not-for-profit organization founded in 2000 and headquartered in Burswood, Western Australia. It provides welfare and advocacy assistance to asylum seekers, refugees, and immigration detainees in WA, with a particular focus on individuals in "visa limbo" who are not permitted to work and fall through gaps in government support. Its core service lines include Client Services (emergency relief, case work, material aid), the CARAD Pantry (food bank sourced via SecondBite and volunteers), the Opening Doors Program (education, English literacy, and employment coaching launched in 2015), Volunteer Programs (200+ active volunteers), Community Engagement (speakers and advocacy), and a referral pathway for partner organizations. Since inception, CARAD has supported over 5,000 clients and claims to be the only organization in Western Australia offering unlimited-duration essential needs support (food, shelter, healthcare) to asylum seekers.

The organization's business model is donation- and grant-funded rather than revenue-generating. Income streams include individual donations (tax deductible for amounts of $2 and above), recurring monthly donations, workplace giving through Good2Give, Benevity and GivingForce, bequests via the Legacy Circle program, and annual membership fees. Major financial partners include Lotterywest (which enabled acquisition of the permanent Burswood facility), Minderoo Foundation, and the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries (DLGSC). Strategic operational partnerships include SecondBite (fresh produce supply), UCIC (long-term peppercorn lease), St John of God (healthcare support), and Gilbert Tobin. The organization operated a catering social enterprise called FareGo until March 2024, when it was discontinued due to economic challenges. CARAD employs 18 paid staff and is governed by a volunteer Management Committee chaired by Rosemary Hudson Miller, with CEO Suha Ali leading operations. It is registered as a charity with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ABN 97481185842) and is not publicly traded.

Name

CARAD - Centre for Asylum Seekers, Refugees, and Detainees

Legal name

Centre for Asylum Seekers, Refugees and Detainees

Website

https://carad.org.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CARAD is a Western Australian not-for-profit founded in 2000 that provides welfare, advocacy, food bank, and education services to asylum seekers, refugees, and detainees. It serves over 5,000 clients cumulatively and is the only WA organization offering unlimited essential needs support.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Refugee and Asylum Seeker Support Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242), Community Food Services (62421), Community Housing Services (62422)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Asylum & Refugee Status Determination (RSD) Support (BPADAHAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Housing Assistance & Homeless Services (BPAGAEAB), Food Assistance & Nutrition Relief (Emergency Feeding) (BPAGAAAD), Financial Assistance & Benefits Navigation Services (BPAGAEAK)

Keywords

• Asylum seeker support
• Refugee welfare services
• Humanitarian assistance programs
• Immigration advocacy services
• Community resettlement support

Headquarters

HQ city

Burswood

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Philanthropy: CARAD generates revenue primarily through charitable donations from individuals, organizations, and corporate partners. All donations of $2 and above are tax deductible in Australia. The organization receives support from major partners including Lotterywest, Minderoo Foundation, and other corporate and community partners.
2. Membership Fees: CARAD offers annual membership to individuals and organizations that support the objectives of CARAD. Members receive voting rights at the annual general meeting, invitations to events, and quarterly newsletters. Membership adds weight to advocacy efforts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CARAD provides welfare, advocacy, and essential needs support to asylum seekers, refugees, and detainees in Western Australia. Services include emergency relief, food security via the CARAD Pantry, accommodation assistance, healthcare access support, casework, the Opening Doors education and employment program, and community engagement. All services are delivered without time limits, making CARAD the only organisation in WA providing this comprehensive, ongoing support to people in visa limbo.

Product overview

CARAD is a not-for-profit organisation offering a portfolio of support services to refugees, asylum seekers, and detainees in Western Australia. The core services include Client Services (welfare and advocacy), Volunteer Programs (with over 200 active volunteers), the CARAD Pantry (food bank receiving produce from SecondBite), the Opening Doors program (education and employment support since 2015), and Community Engagement (speakers, fundraisers, advocacy). The organisation previously operated FareGo, a food catering social enterprise that closed in March 2024. Membership and referral pathways enable community involvement and service access. These programs work together to provide essential needs, advocacy, and welfare support to those seeking humanitarian protection.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Opening Doors: A program dedicated to supporting refugees and people seeking asylum on their journey to independence, education, and employment through personalized coaching, mentorship, and skill development.
• CARAD Pantry
• Legacy Circle

Products and services

• Client Services Welfare and advocacy assistance provided to asylum seekers, refugees, and detainees in Western Australia, including emergency relief, case work, and material aid.
• CARAD Pantry Food bank service providing groceries, fresh produce, and hygiene items to asylum seeking clients; operates on 100% donated items sorted and organized by volunteers.
• Opening Doors Personalised coaching, mentorship, and skill development program supporting refugees and people seeking asylum with education, literacy, English language training, and employment coaching.
• Volunteer Programs Programs engaging over 200 volunteers who contribute time, expertise, and skills to deliver education support, employment coaching, and social inclusion activities for clients.
• Annual Membership Annual membership program for individuals and organizations providing voting rights at the annual general meeting, invitations to events, and quarterly newsletters.
• Referral Services Referral pathway enabling individuals or organisations to refer people seeking asylum for CARAD's welfare and support services.
• Community Engagement Educational speakers for schools and community groups, fundraisers, and advocacy programs that empower clients to become advocates in their own community.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 5,000 refugees, people seeking asylum and detainees supported since 2000
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, supporting and major.

• SecondBitecoreOthersSecondBite, one of Australia's largest food rescue organisations, provides fresh food and vegetables to CARAD's food bank weekly. These donations are sorted and packed by volunteers and distributed to asylum seeking clients.
• Uniting Church in the City (UCIC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUCIC has provided CARAD with office space at nominal rent through a peppercorn lease arrangement for nearly 20 years at 245 Stirling Street, enabling CARAD's operations and mission delivery.
• St John of GodsupportingOthersListed as a Major Partner, St John of God provides healthcare services and support that complement CARAD's work with asylum seekers and refugees.
• UCIC (Uniting Church in the City)coreOthersPreviously hosted CARAD at 245 Stirling Street at nominal rent. Currently listed as a Major Partner.
• Corporate and Community PartnersmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerCARAD welcomes partnerships with organizations that want to contribute through cash or in-kind support, workplace giving, professional pathways for clients, pro-bono assistance or training opportunities, and office fundraising.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Hagar Australia: Hagar Australia supports women and children recovering from trafficking and other extreme abuse, including asylum seekers and refugees - comparable to CARAD's vulnerable-persons casework and long-term accompaniment model.
• Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC): ASRC is Australia's largest asylum-seeker support organization, delivering food, accommodation, legal, health, and employment services - directly comparable to CARAD's welfare, advocacy, and casework model, though at national scale from a Melbourne base.
• Brigidine Asylum Seekers Project (BASP): BASP provides material aid, food, and accommodation support to asylum seekers in Victoria through volunteer networks, closely comparable to CARAD's Pantry and essential-needs delivery model.
• Foundation House (Victorian Foundation for Survivors of Refugee Trauma): Foundation House provides specialist counselling, advocacy, and community-capacity support for refugees - overlapping with CARAD's casework and advocacy remit but with a deeper therapeutic/counselling focus.
• Jesuit Refugee Service Australia: JRS Australia provides casework, detention visits, and accompaniment for asylum seekers and refugees, mirroring CARAD's detention-visits and welfare support activities from a faith-based operator with similar volunteer involvement.
• Refugee Council of Australia: The national peak body for refugees and people seeking asylum, advocating on policy and coordinating sector support - comparable to CARAD in advocacy and asylum-seeker welfare focus but operating at the policy/sector-coordination layer rather than direct service.

Broad incumbents

• AMES Australia (now Settlement Services International): SSI/AMES delivers settlement, employment, and community services for refugees and migrants across Australia - a broad incumbent whose adult English, employment, and casework services overlap with CARAD's Opening Doors program.
• Australian Red Cross: Red Cross operates the national Humanitarian Settlement Program and delivers emergency relief, food assistance, and casework to asylum seekers and refugees - a broader incumbent with overlapping welfare, food, and advocacy functions but operating at national scale.

Regional players

• Multicultural Communities Council of WA: MCCWA is a Western Australian peak body supporting culturally and linguistically diverse communities, including refugees and new arrivals - a WA-specific peer with overlapping settlement, advocacy, and community-development remit.

Others

• SecondBite: SecondBite is Australia's largest food-rescue organization and an upstream supplier to CARAD's Pantry - included as an ecosystem partner/peer given the direct, weekly supply relationship to CARAD's food program.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/centre-for-asylum-seekers-refugees-and-detainees

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about CARAD - Centre for Asylum Seekers, Refugees, and Detainees