What we do
We combine deep local roots with expert care to ensure no one in the Northern Rivers faces hardship alone.
Our Services
In Community
Outside School
Hours Care
About Us
Strengthening our community through specialist care and local heart.
Community Gateway is an externally accredited, professional safety net for the Northern Rivers. We’ve evolved from a humble grassroots initiative founded by women and volunteers in 1976, to a multi-disciplinary services hub.
Our integrated team of GPs, psychotherapists, social workers, trauma counsellors and case managers works across our region to ensure no one faces their toughest days alone. We bridge the gap between complex human needs and specialist clinical care, with a wraparound service model designed to addresses the root causes of hardship.
We exist to build resilience, change lives, and hold our community together, just as we have for the past five decades.
Our Impact
We measure success through lives we change, and the resilience we build together.
0
total occasions of service
0
children enrolled in out of school hours care
0
issued in no interest loans
0
occasions of service for young people navigating trauma
0
bulk-billed consults ensuring accessible care
Key Services
One entry point. Many pathways to specialist support.
Navigating complex challenges is more effective with a single, professional point of entry to expert care. Our integrated model provides easy access to a specialist network of clinical, financial, and community support tailored to the specific needs of individuals and families.
Neighbourhood Centres
The heart of the community. Our Lismore and Casino hubs are open daily for walk-ins, referrals, food pantry, service appointments and a friendly face.
Financial Support
Safe, fair, expert financial help. We support you to take control of your money through financial counselling, No Interest Loans (NILS), energy assistance and more.
Health & Trauma
Specialised, inclusive care. Our Sexual Health Hub and trauma-informed counselling provides a safe space for recovery, reproductive health, and gender-affirming care.
Families & Children
Supporting the next generation. From our accredited outside school hours care (OOSH) to intensive parenting programs, we help families stay connected and resilient.
Crisis & Housing
Immediate help when it’s needed it most. We provide people in crisis with fundamentals like food, sanitary care and financial support options, as well as providing homelessness case management for First Nations people.
Older People, Digital & Volunteering
Connection at any age. We bridge the gap for older community members through volunteer visiting schemes and digital literacy support to keep everyone connected.
testimonials
Real people, real impact
In my thirty years in this field, this is the most unique community organisation I have ever seen. Having wraparound services under one umbrella is a luxury, believe me.
Once someone is fed and clothed, they are finally empowered to make informed decisions about their own lives.”
It’s places like this that help the community, the ones that are doing it the hardest, like myself, because we’ve got nowhere else to go.
I don’t know what I’d do without this place.”
The 2022 floods went right to the ceiling, but Community Gateway didn’t close its doors. It was still there, serving the people in need through their hardship. It means a lot.”
Treating people with respect and care is why I get out of bed every day.
Sometimes it is as simple as sitting down and listening, showing someone that they are human and that they matter. We help them find a home and reclaim their dignity.”
Accessing help isn’t a shameful thing. It’s not a bad thing. It’s actually a powerful stance. It’s actually a powerful thing to do, to have that courage to come in and ask complete strangers for help.
It could change your life and it could lead to breaking cycles that you didn’t think you could break.
We look after disadvantaged people across the whole age spectrum, from children through to aged care. We help people not only to meet their needs in crisis, but to move on and support them. It makes my heart swell.”
I wouldn’t be here today without them. I wouldn’t be here knowing my grandkids or witnessing my kids coming out of care, wanting to be home.
Having that support has been great… I wouldn’t be here today without them.”
get involved
We’d love you to join our growing community of support.
latest News
