Community stories: 27 February 2025
Bay & Basin Community Resources (BBCR) is a community-led, not-for-profit that has served the Shoalhaven and Illawarra communities for more than 30 years. Established to address a large gap in services, BBCR has built on its services over decades and supports youth and community programs, aged care and disability services. Aimed at supporting communities to thrive and live happy, healthy, meaningful and productive lives, its dedicated staff and volunteers provide personalised care.
BBCR has received nearly $150,000 via six IRCF grants, which have provided the necessary funding to enable them to deliver a series of impactful projects.
In 2021/22, a $30,000 IRCF grant supported BBCR to improve communications and marketing by employing a marketing coordinator for six months. This allowed BBCR to refresh its profile and brand, build a new website internally, with stakeholder input, as well as a separate website for the organisation’s community radio station.
A further $30,000 grant in October 2022 helped increase training and employment opportunities for youth. A project coordinator was appointed to establish a work, life and training centre.
BBCR has continued to evolve to meet the growing needs of the Bay and Basin communities. Engaging with local youth as design partners, BBCR went on to successfully secure a $558,000 Regional Youth Investment Program grant in 2023, to build a dedicated Youth Space in Sanctuary Point.
Other projects BBCR has embarked on, thanks to IRCF funding, include a targeted school-refuser reengagement program; a community NFP asset mapping project to help inform planning, policy and program decisions; and engaging a dedicated part-time administrative professional to lead the development and delivery of an innovative Learn-to-Drive Mentor Program for disadvantaged youth in the Bay and Basin area.
BBCR has shown a sophisticated understanding of the capacity building opportunity that IRCF presented and, as a significant player within the NFP sector in the Bay and Basin region. This investment in BBCR and the capacity building work they’ve done over the past five years through the IRCF Bay and Basin program has set them up to act as the umbrella / connector organisation when the IRCF program concludes.
