SINGAPORE: A long standing neighborhood enterprise is now set to expand an inclusive employment initiative.

There’s a new chapter underway at Good Sammy’s Canning Vale headquarters.

The WA social enterprise has officially opened its redeveloped head office and training centre, a $5.7 million transformation designed to expand inclusive employment and training opportunities for Western Australians with disability.

Backed by a $2.9 million Lotterywest grant and a $300,000 WA Government commitment, the decades-old site has been reimagined as a contemporary, purpose-built workplace centred on accessibility, dignity and connection.

“Our vision is to transform workplaces and society through disability employment,” Good Sammy CEO Kane Blackman said. “It is important that we start with our own workplace and ensure it is accessible, contemporary and reflective of our vision.”

The upgraded facility includes accessible pathways with ramps and tactile paving, a lowered reception desk, automatic sliding doors, braille and high-contrast signage, hearing loops in training rooms and universally accessible toilets.

Inside, staff can access modern training spaces, a refurbished canteen with adjustable-height tables and wider aisles, a commercial-grade kitchen and a dedicated wellness room designed as a calm, low-stimulation space.

The redevelopment will support more than 700 staff, customers and students, strengthening Good Sammy’s capacity to deliver employment and training services across WA.

“Our employees have expressed their pride that we have invested in them, by delivering fresh new facilities that they use every day,” Blackman said.

Founded in 1958, Good Sammy is one of WA’s largest disability employment providers and the second-largest employer of people with disability in the state. The organisation employs more than 850 staff — around half of whom identify as having a disability — across 31 op shops and a range of social enterprises including warehousing, catering, property maintenance and the state’s largest for-purpose Containers for Change operation.

In 2024/25 alone, Good Sammy served 1.2 million customers, processed six million kilograms of donated goods and recycled 57 million containers.

With only 53 per cent of working-age Australians with disability participating in the workforce — compared to 84 per cent without disability — projects like this are about more than bricks and mortar.

“This building project has been an investment in Good Sammy’s future so that it can continue its impactful and important work for Western Australians with disability,” Blackman said.