In March, we celebrate 50 years of commitment and service to the communities of Fairfield and South West Sydney with a celebratory event at the Casula Powerhouse Arts Museum.

We are a founding member of the Fairfield Reform Action Group on Gambling Harm and our first project is a campaign during Gamble Aware Week highlighting the harmful impact of gambling on our communities and providing guidance on where to seek help.

We launch our Digital Empowerment Initiative, creating digital inclusion by addressing digital poverty (access and affordability) and enhancing digital literacy and skills for our multicultural communities throughout South West Sydney. 

We receive a Community Partner Award from the South Western Sydney Local Health District and the ZEST Award for Exceptional Community Partnership, recognising the strong support we provided to the local community during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In response to COVID-19, we collaborate with NSW Parliament, Oz Harvest, Cabra-Vale Diggers Club and local organisations to support vulnerable and isolated people in the community during this challenging time, including the delivery of frozen meals and food hampers.

In partnership with Hume Community Housing Association, we provide accommodation for homeless youth aged 16–24 or those at risk of homelessness.

Our name changes to Community First Step, enabling us to broaden our reach and offer a comprehensive range of services tailored to meet the diverse needs of our community.

We auspice the Autism Advisory and Support Service established by a group of local parents to empower children and adults with autism and their families through knowledge and support.

We establish a regular opinion column in the local press and launch a research report into community needs in East Fairfield.

We launch our Employment and Training Services division. We run 9 multicultural playgroups across the Fairfield LGA, which support more than 100 families per week.

East Fairfield Neighbourhood Centre advocates on behalf of over 150 families living in the housing estate set to be demolished and support them in their transition of residence.

We partner with the Business Enterprise Centre and tender to the Department of Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs under their JobNetwork program to provide employment services to the local community as well as Bankstown and Liverpool.

Working Solutions becomes our employment and education services division, providing intensive assistance for long term unemployed and job seekers who face significant barriers to gaining employment.

We establish offices in Fairfield, Wetherill Park, Liverpool, Bankstown, Bonnyrigg and East Fairfield. Bonnyrigg Neighbourhood Centre holds a multicultural festival and our multicultural outreach workers commence work with newly arrived migrants.

We establish a partnership with Learning Links and receive funding to provide specialised services for students with learning difficulties in primary and high schools.

We run Female Creation Young Women’s Project that aims to build the knowledge, skills and confidence of culturally diverse young women aged 12-24.

It is our first year as a Landcare and Environment Action Project (LEAP) broker organising training in job skills, related living skills, and conservation skills for 30 local disadvantaged young people.

We receive a high commendation from the Keep Australia Beautiful Council.

We receive funding for English Classes. These are held in 8 centres and target people not eligible for other classes particularly women and the elderly.

We are involved in community art projects including Stories of Migration and the Women’s Theatre Project.

Managing 35 projects with a staff of 78, we are one of the largest community-based organisations in Australia.

We move to the new Community Services Centre on Barbara Street, where we are located today.

We manage new initiatives such as Greenfield Park Neighbourhood Centre.

A community consultation is held in November of our 15th year to assist in the process of charting the directions for the organisation over the next decade.

Our Wetherill Park & Bonnyrigg Transport Project publishes the report “Community Transport and the case for community participation in the transport planning process”, influencing the direction of community transport planning in Western Sydney.

We procure four playgroups at Villawood, St Johns Park, Greenfield Park and Cabramatta.

Our Wetherill Park Youth Development Worker Project provides a range of services, activities and programs for young people in the new release areas of Wetherill Park, Bossley Park, Prairiewood and Greenfield Park.

Our Multicultural Women’s Poster Project is launched at Powerhouse Museum in September. Eight local women from diverse cultural backgrounds design and print posters about women from their own culture, creating an educative tool to increase community understanding of women from different cultures to overcome negative stereotypes as well as develop new skills and opportunities for self-expression.

We assist in the operation of Neighbourhood Centres in Fairfield, Bonnyrigg, Wetherill Park and Villawood North.

We are asked by council to manage a new youth centre under construction in Bonnyrigg and to develop initiatives to achieve its aims.

We received a six year grant from the Western Sydney Area Assistance Scheme for an English Access and Outreach Program.

We open Canley Vale Before and After School Care at Canley Vale Public School to provide support for parents studying, working or actively seeking employment.

Together with four existing community children centres, we develop the Community Ethnic Children’s Project to progress multicultural programming in childcare centres and train culturally and linguistically diverse women in childcare.

Our initiatives to support the community include the Fairfield Community Mediators Centre providing free help for community members to resolve neighbourhood disputes of a non-legal nature and appointment of a Community Development Officer at the Housing Commission Estate at Bonnyrigg.

Fairfield City Youth Refuge opens after a long battle for funding.

Fairfield Neighbourhood Centre worked hard on this through the establishment of a youth committee, undertaking research and coordinating the submission. Young people in an emergency crisis accommodation situation previously had to rely on youth refuges in neighbouring areas and they were often full.

We evolve into Fairfield Neighbourhood Centre located in the School of Arts on Harris Street Fairfield and become a key community resource for residents in both the local community and neighbouring areas.