Northside Enterprise has a long and proud history as a community based non-government organisation, serving young people with intellectual and/or multiple disabilities and their families on the northern beaches and lower North Shore areas of Sydney. Since 1994 we have grown from six service users in a room at a community centre to over thirty service users in our own premises. Northside Enterprise began as a small supported employment Service in 1991 funded by the NSW State Government. Following the first Commonwealth State Disability Agreement, employment Services became funded by the Commonwealth Government.
In 1993 Northside successfully tendered for a Post School Options program, which commenced in January 1994.
Our employment service did not fit any of the Commonwealth’s service models, so in 1995 we transferred the employment service to Shore Personnel, which allowed them to open an office in Brookvale, thus retaining an employment service on the Northern Beaches.
Northside Enterprise became an incorporated association in 1997 operated by a volunteer Management Committee made up from persons from various professions in the community. All committee members have an interest in ensuring people with disabilities experience quality of life.
We soon outgrew our first site, a room in Narraweena Community Centre, and the service split into two sites, one at Narraweena, and one a church hall in North Manly. In 1998 we came together again, in rented office space in Dee Why. By 2001 we again had outgrown our premises and were searching for larger premises, when thanks to a benefactor we were able to purchase our current Headoffice and training centre space in Brookvale.
During 2005 and 2006 Northside Enterprise Inc was successful in its tenders to the NSW Department of Ageing, Disability and Home Care (ADHC) to become a service provider for the new post-school programs to be offered to adults with disabilities. The new programs are: Community Participation Program and Transition to Work program.