Locals and visitors to Sydney are set to get a new ‘one-stop-shop' for all ACON services with the opening in May of a new building in Surry Hills that will house all our Sydney-based staff and facilities...

While most people in the GLBT community are familiar with ACON as an organisation, it comes a surprise to many to find out that ACON's Sydney-based services are currently delivered from four separate locations.

ACON's Sydney headquarters is located in Darlinghurst, the Positive Living Centre (PLC) is situated in Surry Hills, the Sex Workers Outreach Project is based in Chippendale and The Luncheon Club - which ACON co-manages with HIV/AIDS charity the Bobby Goldsmith Foundation - is located in Waterloo.

But all that is set to change.

That's because all of ACON's Sydney based staff and facilities will be moving in May to a single location in Surry Hills at 414 Elizabeth St, one block up from Central Railway Station and diagonally opposite the Strawberry Hills Hotel.

ACON President Mark Orr says it's a welcome development.

"Having all ACON's staff and facilities under the one roof will significantly improve our service delivery by creating a ‘one-stop-shop' for locals and visitors to Sydney who want to access our HIV and GLBT health services," Mr Orr says.

"The new location also offers better public transport access for clients and community members and brings us closer to our communities in Sydney's inner-west while keeping us close to the historical centre of the GLBT community in Darlinghurst and Surry Hills."

"For our sex worker clients, having our offices closer to the centre of inner Sydney's sex work industry will improve their access to SWOP's health promotion services."\

The new premises, located across multiple floors of an historic wool store building, will include all the essential community services that are currently offered by ACON, the PLC, The Luncheon Club and SWOP.

Aside from accommodating all ACON's Sydney-based staff, there will be a number of community meeting spaces, private counselling spaces, therapy rooms for acupuncture and massage, and a commercial kitchen to prepare meals for members of The Luncheon Club and visitors to the PLC.

The building will also feature a range of new facilities, equipment and technologies which will significantly enhance and streamline ACON's operations.

ACON CEO Nicolas Parkhill says accommodating the diverse needs of so many organisations in one location has "certainly been a demanding exercise, but having us all under the same roof is a much better way for ACON to be operating.

"However, moving so many people to the same place at the same time is a logistical challenge, especially because we want to minimise any disruption to our services.

"So we're staggering the move over the month of May.

"Staff from ACON's Commonwealth St office will move into the new building in early May, SWOP will move in during mid May and the PLC and The Luncheon Club will move in towards the end of May.

"Unfortunately there will be some disruption to each of these service divisions immediately before and after each of their respective relocations and we apologise in advance for any inconvenience to our clients, community members and stakeholders."

"To be honest, moving is never easy for all sorts of logistical, financial and emotional reasons.

"However, being able to provide our services from a single, central, accessible, modern and well equipped premises is the beginning of an exciting new era for ACON and we look forward to welcoming people to our new home."

For more information about the relocation or to register your feedback, please call ACON reception on (02) 9206 2000, Freecall 1800 063 060 or visit www.acon.org.au/relocationfeedback

We also look forward to inviting community members to an Open Day in the near future so they can tour the new premises and meet ACON staff.

To keep updated, please subscribe to our e-news list at www.acon.org.au, become a Facebook fan of ACON or SWOP or follow us on Twitter @ACONHealth.

Moving Schedule

All four of ACON's Sydney based offices will relocate to the new premises over the month of May.

Services will be available from the new location as follows:

ACON - Early May 2011

SWOP - Mid May 2011

PLC - Late May 2011

Luncheon Club - Late May

Click here for more information on how to get to our new premises (by car, by train, by bus)

New Contact Info

ACON SYDNEY
POSITIVE LIVING CENTRE
THE LUNCHEON CLUB

Tel: (02) 9206 2000
Freecall: 1800 063 060
Email: acon@acon.org.au

SWOP (from mid May)
Tel: (02) 9206 2166
Email: infoswop@acon.org.au
www.swop.org.au

More info

Contact: ACON Reception
Tel: (02) 9206 2000
Free Call: 1800 063 060
Hearing Impaired: (02) 9283 2088
Email: acon@acon.org.au