ACON moving offices

The AIDS Council of NSW (ACON) will merge all key health and well being services with its Sydney-based staff and facilities at one location in April.

People affected by HIV will be able to access all these services from the same place when ACON’s four Sydney sites relocate.

The new premises at 414 Elizabeth St — just next to Central Station — will include the Positive Living Centre, the Sex Workers Outreach Project and the Luncheon Club, which is jointly run by ACON and HIV/AIDS charity the Bobby Goldsmith Foundation.

ACON president Mark Orr said the move has several important benefits for ACON’s clients and communities.

“Moving to the new building will significantly improve our service delivery by creating a ‘one-stop shop’ for ACON clients and will enable us to save a considerable amount of money by reducing the maintenance and administration costs we currently incur by having four different operational sites,” Orr said.

“The new location also offers better public transport access for our clients 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.”

ACON plans to release updates and briefings on the move and new premises over the next few weeks, in the lead-up to an anticipated move date.

Consultations with clients and stakeholders will be ongoing as details of the move are finalised.

ACON CEO Nicolas Parkhill said the organisation is doing all it can to keep people up to date as details are worked out.

“We have a number of natural opportunities to inform community members and to receive feedback over the Mardi Gras period,” he said.

Several other GLBT community organisations may also relocate to the same premises, details of which will be announced in the coming weeks.

Feedback can be provided via the ACON website at www.acon.org.au/relocationfeedback