Title: 30 pt, SVA Blue

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The ACT Social Enterprise Hub
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SVA invests in social change
Employment
Education
Non-profits and social enterprises
Philanthropists
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Employment Exclusion

• According to ABS data, there are 614,700
  unemployed Australians, of which 17.8 are
  categorised as long-term unemployed, i.e. 109,400
  people1
• However the Brotherhood of St Lawrence has
  identified that out of the over 750,000 people on
  Disability Support Pension approximately 150,000
  want to work but have been out of work for over
  one year and face multiple barriers to gaining
  employment.

The total amount of people considered to be
excluded from the labour market adds up to over
250,000 Australians aged 15 and over.
Approximately 1 in every 10 Australians
1 Source Australian Bureau of Statistics,
Australian Labour Market Statistics, 6150.0,
April 2010. 2 Brotherhood of St Lawrence Business
Leadership Lunch, Sept 2010
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What our experience tells us

• Lifting education and employment participation
  levels is the most effective
• foundation for achieving sustainable, broad
  based and breakthrough change
• in disadvantaged communities.

• The cost of long term unemployment goes beyond
  that of welfare payments
• and lost taxation. There are established
  links between unemployment and poor
• health, crime, debt, addiction and
  homelessness.

• Economic participation is fundamental if a
  person is to achieve social
• connections and personal significance.
  Economic activity provides the
• social glue for communities.

• Whilst the reasons behind economic inactivity is
  multi-dimensional, it is
• heavily influenced by education attainment
  levels.

• The provision of educational and employment
  pathways is critical to
• breaking this cycle of disadvantage.

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The ACT Social Enterprise Hub

• Founding partners
• Social Ventures Australia (SVA)
• PriceWaterhouse Coopers Foundation
• The Snow Foundation Ltd
• ACT Health
• DHCS ACT
• Mental Heath Community Coalition ACT (MHCC ACT)
• Our purpose
• To work with entrepreneurs, community
  organisations, businesses and government to grow
  and develop social enterprises in the ACT that
  are
• self sustaining and
• that increase employment opportunities for people
  that are disadvantaged in the labour market.

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What is a social enterprise?

• Definition
• Social enterprises are businesses that trade for
  a social purpose. 
• There are numerous definitions of social
  enterprise throughout the world and it is a much
  contested term. 
• We believe social enterprises have the following
  characteristics
• explicit social aims
• commercial orientation
• social ownership
• social accountability
• socially entrepreneurial drive
• use of profits for community benefit
• socially inclusive values base

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What is a social enterprise? (contd)

• Characteristics we look for
• A business with a commercial and social purpose
• Selling (charging a fee for a product or
  service)
• 25 staff from marginalised backgrounds
• Supportive and integrated work environment
• Modifications of design and culture of the
  workplace
• All staff are paid the award or productivity
  rate and
• Provides the same work opportunities, rights and
  obligations to all employees.

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Benefits of a social enterprise

• Social Enterprises offer real jobs.
• Employment offers people with disabilities
  significant benefits.
• Overcoming social exclusion.
• Transitionary or ongoing source of employment.
• Provide an inclusive work opportunity.
• Reduce number of people on government support.
• Sustainable source of income.
• Benefits for consumers.

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How we can help
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Achievements so far

• The Hub was initiated in 2008 and officially
  launched in July 2009.
• After 12 months (July 2010)
• 24 sustainable jobs created
• Income streams for a further 45 people
• Nine enterprises are currently supported
• Two successful grant applications
• Two successful launches
• Substantial media coverage
• Public Money for Public Benefit panel
  discussion which rested in new social tendering
  guidelines in the ACT
• One-day Indigenous Cultural Tourism Workshop
• Developing a social enterprise workshop
• Almost 30K of in-kind support (mentoring,
  pro-bono)

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Enterprises currently supported
Noahs Ark Child-care Centre Marginalised women
Paperworks Disability
Ronnies Succulent Snails Disability
Magpie Blah! Blah! Disability
A Grade Mini Parts Disability
Recyclery Disability
Burrunju Aboriginal Art Gallery Indigenous
Medius Spence IGA Mental health
WCS - Café Ink Mental health, long-term unemployed
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Pro-bono partners
PricewaterhouseCoopers (incorporating Walter Turnbull) Mentors Financial services
MinterEllison Legal services
Mel Hill Photography Photography
Papercut Graphic design and corporate ID
Cut Through Marketing and advertising
Bonobo Labs Websites and social networking
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Case Study Café Ink

• Social Enterprise Café Ink (Woden Community
  Service).
• Time frame opened in April 2010.
• Turnover 60,000 each month and steadily
  increasing.
• Staff Café Ink currently employs 10 people (plus
  one manager).
• 80 of employees are mental health consumers
• 10 are migrants/refugees
• 10 are through family support programs
• Staff members have variously reported increased
  and supplemented income, increased confidence and
  greater community participation.
• Study currently underway to asses social impacts
  and impacts on individuals
• Winner 2010 ACT Inclusion Award
• (Small Business category)
• WINNER 2010 CHIEF MINISTERS
• AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE

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Contact

• Jane Speechley
• jspeechley_at_socialventures.com.au
• 0414 354 928