The Parramatta Welcome Here Project

City of Parramatta partnered with Woolworths Group to invite local businesses to join the Welcome Here Project to demonstrate their commitment to providing safe places for our lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (LGBTQI+) communities to work, relax, have fun and learn. 

The Welcome Here Project supports businesses and services throughout Australia to create and promote environments that are visibly welcoming and inclusive of LGBTIQ+ communities. 

City of Parramatta is one of four Councils in NSW to join the Welcome Here program and encourages local businesses to be part of this project by registering their interest to join.

The sponsored phase of the Parramatta Welcome Here Project, including training and site registration, has now closed, with a second round potentially running in 2023. 

To celebrate the completion of the project, Council would like to acknowledge the following local businesses who have joined with City of Parramatta Council, as new Welcome Here sites:

• White Henry Café 
• Teddy Black Café
• Sydney Sports Medicine
• 4uu4 Cups 
• Umaya 
• Parramatta Bike Tours 
• Karabi Community Development Services 
• Dundas Area Neighbourhood Centre

You can still sign-up to become a Welcome Here site, by visiting the Welcome Here website. 

Pride in Diversity also runs LGBTQI+ inclusive workplace training for businesses. You can find out more by visiting the Pride in Diversity website.

For more information contact the Community Capacity Building Team at: ccb@cityofparramatta.nsw.gov.au

Woolworths Group- Painting Parramatta with Pride 

Painting Parramatta with Pride is Woolworths Groups AWEI Platinum Project inspired by two factors. One, as the population in Parramatta continues to grow, it is noticeable that in such a large, rapidly growing, and dynamic city, there is a lack of safe spaces for the LGBTQI+ community, particularly for those with a Culturally and Linguistically Diverse experience (CALD). 

The project is also based on the research and recommendations put forward through the Advancing LGBTQ+ Safety and Inclusion: Understanding the Lived Experiences and Health Needs of Sexuality and Gender Diverse People in Greater Western Sydney report from Western Sydney University and ACON.

Woolworths Group is also one of the largest employers of young people in Australia with over 73% of team members under the age of 40, and 8% of these identifying as LGBTQI+. With our footprint and influence, we believe we can make a meaningful impact to the lives of local LGBTQI+ people. 

ACON- The Welcome Here Project

ACON is a NSW based community organisation, that is a world- wide leader in LGBTQI health and well-being. Their vision is: We strive to be a global leader in community health, inclusion and HIV responses for people of diverse sexualities and genders. The Welcomed Here project is an initiative of ACON. The Welcome Here Project was initially the ‘Safe Place Project’. It commenced in 1992 in response to high levels to high levels of street-based violence experienced by LGBTQI communities. Times have changed, street-based violence has reduced but there is still work to be done. Therefore, “The Welcome Here Project” was created to focus on supporting local business owners and services in Australia to create and promote environments that are visibly welcoming and inclusive of LGBTQI people.  For more information about ACON and The Welcome Here Project click here: https://www.welcomehere.org.au/ .