A Sydney council wants to transform a former mental health facility into a refugee hub.
Leichhardt Council, in the city's inner-west, met on Tuesday evening and voted to establish a Refugee Welcome Centre to provide short-term accommodation at Callan Park in Lilyfield.
The council is seeking state and federal funding to help upgrade the disused buildings in the area that were previously used for mental health services.
Leichhardt Mayor Darcy Byrne said it is an opportunity for the inner-west community to "open its arms to people fleeing from war and famine".
"It's one thing to support humanitarian principles, but by offering a place in our own backyard to the orphans and widows fleeing Syria and elsewhere we can put our good intentions into action," Mr Byrne said in a statement on Wednesday.
"Callan Park can provide support to Australians who need a helping hand, as well as people who have escaped brutal conditions overseas."
The mayor said with the federal government committed to resettling 12,000 Syrian refugees it would be far more cost effective to rehabilitate existing accommodation rather than build new facilities.
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