A new community service connecting people with support services, providing information and referrals to education or employment opportunities has opened in Wyndham.

The Hub Open Door Pilot is a welcoming community space based at AMES Australia, in Werribee.

The Hub Open Door helps community members connect with information, support, and services.

It supports people looking for employment but are not sure where to start and it can refer others to English language classes or vocational training.

It also provides information about or access to health-related services, joining local sports teams or other social activities.

Them Hub can refer people searching for nearby parenting groups that cater to specific languages.

And it has links to local food banks or other material aid in Wyndham area.

The drop-in service is available to all Wyndham LGA residents and staff speak a wide range of languages.

AMES Australia Senior Manager Jelena Kelly said that at the Hub’s core was a collaboration of local service groups.

“If people need some support, they can come to the Hub and get information and referrals to find the help or connections they need,” Jelena said.

“Recently we supported people trying to fill out the census forms. And the ABS thanked our staff and volunteers for contributing significantly to building engagement and allowed strong reach to CALD communities,” she said.

“The idea is to connect people with the right support within or outside AMES Australia and to bring people together through a welcoming community space,” Jelena said.

The Hub was part of a program delivered across all of AMES Australia’s hub sites that played an important role in supporting members of diverse communities to take part in 2026 Census.

More than 247 Census information sessions were delivered to the community and staff and around 287 families directly assisted with Census form completion in more than 21 languages.

The podcasts improved accessibility and enabled community members to receive important Census information in their preferred language.

The Hub Open Door team also initiated, coordinated and delivered extensive support to assist CALD, refugee and migrant community members to understand and complete Census requirements.

This work was undertaken through an AMES-led partnership with Wyndham Community, Education Centre (WCEC), MiCare and the ABS with support provided in 21 languages to 133 diverse and refugee families.

Census awareness sessions and information presentations were delivered to 57 staff members, including 19 AMES Australia staff, representing five service providers across Wyndham.

Also, community information sessions were conducted with AMES Education participants in Werribee, Sunshine and Watergardens. The sessions reached about 80 students and helped to build awareness and confidence around Census participation.

A coordinated support model was implemented through volunteer-assisted appointments, drop-in support sessions at the AMES HOD Werribee site, and two community events hosted at Wyndham Community and Education Centre.

Participant feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with community members reporting increased understanding of Census requirements and confidence in completing their forms.

The ABS thanked AMES and its partners for the success of the engagement program.

ABS Census Engagement Manager Evonne Papadopoulos said: “The Fill in the Forms sessions with our three organisations in Wyndham (AMES, WCEC and MiCare) were identified by ABS as highly successful and impactful events. These specific collaborative approaches are one of the most valuable aspects of the ABS Census CALD strategy application, noting that it contributed significantly to building engagement and allowed strong reach to CALD communities and beyond.”

Hub Open Door – Level 1, 9 Bridge Street, Werribee

hod@ames.net.au