The Little Social opens at Footscray Hospital - turning every coffee into opportunity After years of planning, partnership and shared commitment, Youth Projects is proud to officially open The Little Social at Footscray Hospital. This is our second social enterprise café in the west in just five months, designed to create real employment opportunities for young people facing disadvantage. Located within one of Victoria’s largest health infrastructure projects, this new café is more than just a place to grab a coffee. It’s a powerful example of what’s possible when healthcare, infrastructure, government and community partners come together with a shared commitment to economic inclusion. Partnerships in Action The Little Social at Footscray Hospital brings together a network of values-aligned partners including Plenary Health, Western Health, La Marzocco, Reverence Coffee and Trust Projects alongside a growing ecosystem of social enterprise and supply partners. This collaboration demonstrates how social procurement can move beyond policy and into practice, embedding it into day-to-day operations where it creates visible, lasting impact. The café was officially opened today by Katie Hall, Member for Footscray, alongside remarks from Melanie Raymond OAM, Chair of the Youth Projects Board and Kelvyn Lavelle, Footscray Hospital Project Chair and Chair of Plenary Health. A Pathways into Employment At its core, The Little Social is about creating opportunities. This café combines pre-employment training through Here4Hospitality and Chop4Change with work experience and ongoing, wraparound support for young people aged 15-24. It’s a model designed not just to provide jobs, but to build confidence, develop skills and create pathways into long-term employment. Every coffee sold contributes directly to this impact. In the last financial year, The Little Social has served more than 250,000 coffees and supported 44 young people through structured training, with over half transitioning into employment or further education. Revenue generated through our café and catering operations is reinvested back into Youth Projects programs, ensuring the model continues to deliver both social and commercial outcomes. Why in the West? Through our work in Transition to Work and our deep connections across Melbourne’s west, we know the barriers many young people face when trying to access employment. From transport and costs to limited local opportunities. As youth unemployment and cost-of-living pressures continue to affect Melbourne’s west, sourcing employment pathways is becoming increasingly difficult. Youth Projects CEO Trent Miller said that Social Enterprises play a vital role in providing a transition pathway into the labour market for young people. “Youth unemployment is becoming more entrenched, with one in five unemployed young people now out of work for over a year, double what it was a decade ago. The long-term impacts are significant, contributing to cycles of poverty, homelessness, and poor mental health. Social enterprises like The Little Social at Footscray Hospital are part of the solution, creating jobs and pathways for young people who are often locked out of the labour market.” This is Youth Projects second café in Melbourne’s west in just five months, following the opening of The Little Social at Wyndham Law Courts. Together, these sites represent a deliberate, place-based approach to expanding employment pathways and supporting young people closer to home. Real Stories = Real Impact For young people like Lauren, The Little Social has been life-changing: “I used to feel overlooked at work, but here I’ve been supported to learn and grow. Now I feel confident about my future.” Stories like Lauren’s are at the heart of everything we do and is a reminder that with the right support, opportunity and environment, young people can thrive. Strengthening the Local Economy Beyond individual impact, The Little Social plays an important role in the broader local economy. By embedding a social enterprise within the Footscray Hospital precinct, we are: Supporting local suppliers Strengthening supply chains Contributing to a vibrant, inclusive hospitality ecosystem This café helps transform he hospital into a community hub where social impact and economic participation come together. Looking Ahead The Little Social at Footscray Hospital is not a one-off initiative. It’s part of a growing model that demonstrates how social enterprise can create scalable, sustainable employment pathways when backed by strong partners. As we continue to expand, our focus remains the same. Creating meaningful opportunities for young people and building stronger, more inclusive communities. We’re excited to further this impact in 2026 through the rollout of our Chop4Change pre-employment program, alongside plans to develop a sensory kitchen designed to support young people who are neurodiverse. These initiatives will create even more inclusive, tailored pathways into hospitality and employment, ensuring more young people can access opportunities that meet them where they’re at. Manage Cookie Preferences