What Jacob does to help city’s refugees
AT JUST 20 years old, Toowoomba’s Jacob Oyat bought his first investment property to create affordable housing for refugees.
Now 21, Mr Oyat has plans to buy more properties for the same purpose, to help families just like his which left South Sudan when he was only five because of the country’s civil war.
“Being a refugee from Sudan, also knowing the difficulties that come about when you are settling into a country like Australia, and just trying to make the transition into society as easy as possible,” Mr Oyat said of his decision.
He said housing was a good investment, but what was needed was low-cost housing for refugees and people from a low socio-economic background.
“Most people go into an investment like this not really considering the social aspect of it, more so for personal gain,” he said.
Mr Oyat hopes more people could do what he did and wants to encourage others to consider the investment pathway.
His family arrived in Brisbane in 2001 before settling in Stanthorpe for about two years and then coming to Toowoomba.
“We have loved it here and I guess the reason why we have stayed here and not moved to Brisbane where a lot more Sudanese people are is because of the great reception we received when we first settled here,” he said.
Mr Oyat recently completed a Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Southern Queensland and works for accounting firm Power Tynan.
He has been nominated for a leadership award as part of the Queensland Young
I guess my lasting legacy will be to be able to demonstrate by way of example. — Jacob Oyat
Achiever Awards.
His advice for other young people wanting to invest is to get a good savings habit from a young age and set goals.
“I guess my lasting legacy will be to be able to demonstrate by way of example for other people people, especially for young refugees coming here, just to be able to take up all opportunities provided by the society they are coming into and just to make the most of it.”
The Queensland Young Achiever Awards winners will be announced in May.