For families arriving in Sydney from Gaza in late 2023, safety did not remove the immediate question of where they would sleep. Many had left with little more than they could carry. They needed accommodation, everyday essentials and time to find their feet in an unfamiliar city.
Merciful Group joined a wider community response. In December 2023, ABC News reported that a charity had sourced 15 rent-free units across Sydney and identified Merciful Group president Rabih Chamma as the organiser describing the appeal for help. Property owners, real estate contacts and donors responded to the call. The ABC visited one of the apartments as a newly arrived family saw it for the first time.
Practical help at the right moment
The immediate value of a home is easy to understand. A family can put down its bags, prepare a meal and begin to plan the next day. Housing also gives the volunteers and supporters around them a reliable place from which to help with the many other tasks that follow an international arrival.
The Guardian reported later that month that Merciful Group had supported five families, around 20 people, at that point. Those figures describe the early response in December 2023, not a current total. They show what community generosity could make possible in a short period when people worked together around a practical need.
A shared community effort
Merciful Group was one part of a much wider effort by Australian community organisations, families, landlords and volunteers. Its contribution was to help connect urgent housing needs with people willing to offer space and support. The response depended on trust between strangers: people offering homes, people giving what they could, and families accepting help while navigating profound uncertainty.
This is the kind of work Merciful Group wants to be known for. It is grounded in a straightforward belief that people facing hardship should be met with practical help and dignity. The 2023 housing response remains an example of what can happen when a community turns that belief into action.