Support services across the region have told Fairfax Media they were preparing for the intake and were waiting for the federal government to reveal how many would settle in the area.

Navitas and its partners have organised support services that will be ­tailored to each refugee’s needs.

CatholicCare Refugee Services is preparing its own comprehensive ­support program for the refugees when they arrive in Newcastle next year.

Yet the Department of Social Services says the government has not decided where Syrians will begin their new life in NSW or when they will arrive.

Navitas has confirmed refugees will initially complete an orientation ­program to learn about the Australian way of life and connect with Medicare and Centrelink. 

They will open a bank account and be housed in furnished dwellings across the city that Navitas has rented from the private market, until they are able to find their own accommodation.

Humanitarian Settlement Services regional manager Jill Gillespie says support for refugees in Newcastle is widespread because the city has been opening its arms to refugees for years. 

She expects Novocastrians to welcome the latest intake and says some will teach the migrants English.

“It will be a similar support program to what the refugees that have been coming to Newcastle for years have received,” Ms Gillespie said. 

“The more support you can give people initially means they get on their feet faster.”

Ms Gillespie says refugees from warn-torn regions may need ­emotional and mental health support to deal with their sense of loss. 

“These people will have left everything behind and that may include family members. They have a sense of loss and a sense of wanting to find a place that is safe. Resettlement is their last option for a new life.”

The NSW Department of Community Services has stringent ­criteria when selecting resettlement locations.

Ms Gillespie suspects Newcastle has been chosen because it has ­“everything that a city has and it is less intimidating”. 

East Maitland Uniting Church ­Reverend Warwick Cadenhead has praised the widespread support and says the government should roll it out to every person seeking refuge in our country. He says the shortfall of ­support for asylum seekers was ­“inappropriate” and they “deserved to be treated with dignity”. 

“It doesn’t matter how they arrive. If they have a well-founded fear of prosecution in their country then they should be welcomed, and arriving by boat is a legal way to enter the country,” he said.

The church has launched a “refugees are welcome here” campaign across NSW and the ACT to convey their message to the government.

Coffs Harbour, Wollongong,  Albury and Wagga Wagga have also been flagged as resettlement sites.