At Community Gateway, our focus is on ensuring that our services are relevant and tailored to each individual. In fact, that’s our organisation’s ’Why’ - Everything we are is relevant to you.
This means that no two of our clients will be prescribed the same supports or services, because everyone has unique wants and needs.
When an individual comes in contact with our team at Community Gateway, one of the most important people they will liaise with is their Support Coordinator.
This person is responsible for:
Helping an individual understand their NDIS or My Aged Care plan.
Negotiating services, prices, and supports from providers such as Community Gateway.
Working with an individual to find supports and services that develop their skills and help them live more independently.
Our Wollongong Support Coordinator, Melanie Miller describes her role as being diverse and rewarding, “I work with ageing people as well as those with a disability, so my role can be quite diverse. I love the problem solving that comes with this – no two days are ever the same.”
The services arranged through a Support Coordinator can vary greatly. For example, some people may need assistance getting to and from the local library so they can borrow new books. Others may have more complex needs, such as personal care (showering and shaving) or domestic assistance (cleaning and vacuuming). A good Support Coordinator will get to know an individual and their specific needs, and coordinate services that will have the greatest positive impact on their life. “The biggest part of my role is managing my clients’ budgets to ensure they have enough funding to put effective supports in place, and then coordinating these services that will best support them.”
Community Gateway has Hubs located in the Illawarra, Shoalhaven and Kempsey regions, providing support for over 1,200 local people. Being spread across multiple locations like this can sometimes bring additional challenges. Melanie Miller works with her clients’ and our broader team to ensure that challenges are met with a positive attitude and can be overcome easily, “We liaise quite closely with our Wellbeing team to ensure that we can pair clients with Support and Community Workers who are the right fit.” For example, if a client comes from a non-English speaking background, their Support Coordinator will make every effort to ensure that their Community or Support worker can speak their language or is able to communicate effectively through another means.
Our team strive to go above and beyond for the people we work for every day. Often, the first step in a positive experience with a provider starts with effective Support Coordination. To learn more about Support Coordination at Community Gateway, call us today on
1300 657 473 or fill out our enquiry form and we will be in touch.