Coffee lovers rejoice, a new café opened in Tumbi Umbi on May 1.
The café is called Better Days, and is a social enterprise run by Coast Community Care in partnership with the Salvation Army’s Employment Plus Team.
“The name came from a brainstorming session where we had this catchphrase where we want our neighbours to come and feel good and have a better day after coming here.
“It’s also a reflection of our mission for our staff to come here and enjoy what they do and gain new experience to help them in the future,” said Coast Community Care Chairperson, Kristyn Crossfield.
“Bizarrely the Salvation Army employment program is called the Better Days Project, so it really was a sign”.
The initiative is being funded by the NSW Government through their My Community Project Grant, and the café aims to provide supported employment, training and work experience to local young people who have struggled to access paid work.
“We had a vision of what we wanted to achieve with the social enterprise café, but we didn’t know how to achieve it, and then we got the grant from the government,” said Crossfield.
After 12 months of construction, the grand opening took place on May 1, at the café on Adelaide St, Tumbi Umbi.
“COVID really slowed down things like getting approval from council and construction, so we ended up 6 months behind where we would like to have been, but it was all fine in the end and it’s probably better that we had more time to set up the café,” said Crossfield.
The café currently employs young people with no prior job experience, and Coast Community Care are planning on expanding this to get young indigenous people and disabled people involved in the program as well.
“We want to open this program to as many people as possible,” said Crossfield.
All the staff at the café are employed for a minimum of 6 months, where they receive training over a 12-month period and then move on to a new job.
In attendance at the opening was Parliamentary Secretary for the Central Coast, Adam Crouch, where he cut the ribbon to officially open the café.
Coast Community Care offers a range of charity services aimed at helping those in need.
Harry Mulholland