The steel manufacturer officially handed keys to the Flagstaff Group and the Community Industry Group on Tuesday night, for the not-for-profits to re-purpose some of their old buildings.

Flagstaff’s Roy Rogers first suggested the idea for the “community campus” – a site where many organisations could flourish – including expanding his group to include support for new businesses.

“I want people with disabilities to be able to experience the same thing and the same opportunities that everybody else does,” he told the Mercury.

“If we can innovate people with disabilities and provide an incubator for start-ups we can give them skills to not only be employed but skills to be self employed.”

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Flagstaff have already refurbished a BlueScope property to accommodate their Life Choices services. Mr Rogers said the lush vegetation around the campus off Flagstaff Road made the space “very tranquil” and was an asset to the Illawarra.

The Community Industry Group is the peak body working for community services and organisations in South East NSW and will take over a derelict medical centre.

CEO Nicky Sloan said the money they will save from being gifted this building will enable them to deliver more services.

“It’s often very difficult for people who are on low incomes, or perhaps have limited mobility, to get into the city centre,” CEO Nicky Sloan said.

“This would be a place where service providers who have clients in that Port Kembla area to be able to come out and do outreach services.”

Thirteen novelty cheques were also handed out to different grant recipients, something that has become standard practice for BlueScope, to receipts such as the Salvation Army, Surf Life Saving, Illawarra Academy of Sport, Southern Stars Schools Spectacular, i98 Convoy and Lifeline to name a few.

The company began supporting the Illawarra community in a variety of ways such as bequeathing Glennifer Brae and the nearby botanic garden to the city of Wollongong.

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