After floods and fire, PCYC seeks a new permanent home
Instead of celebrating its 75th year, club officials are searching the city for a new site amid an uncertain future
It‘s been a disastrous few years for the once hugely popular PCYC based at North Wollongong, meaning this vital support service for youth is effectively homeless.
In early April 2024, the Exeter Street building went under water in one of the worst flood events to hit Wollongong and the region in decades.
On April 6 that year, more than 200mm of rain fell in a 24-hour period in some parts of the city, and, occupying low-lying flood-prone land adjacent to a creek, the North Wollongong PCYC stood no chance.
Over the years, with larger rain events, the PCYC became more vulnerable to flooding. When the 2024 flood hit – the fourth to inundate the building in less than a decade – the property was deemed to be no longer habitable. Management felt they had no other option but to shut operations and activities down.
For more than two years since, the building has been permanently closed, surrounded by a large security fence.
A spokesperson for PCYC told The Illawarra Flame “the PCYC Wollongong club is not in operation due to the ongoing risk of repeated flooding events”.
That has left a huge gap in the provision of important youth services for those living near the centre of the city.
At the time of the 2024 flood, the North Wollongong PCYC club’s website said it was “enhancing the lives of 1600 members, focusing on youth development, crime prevention and police-community engagement.”
The club provided a safe space for youth to engage in basketball, gymnastics, boxing and driver education, while facilitating programs for “more than 500 at-risk youth”.
The club suffered another major setback just three weeks ago when fire tore through a large part of the premises, destroying the roof in the process.
Sixty per cent of the property was extensively damaged, putting what appears to be the final nail in the coffin of the PCYC on that troubled site.
Established in 1951, the club should have been celebrating its 75th year in 2026. Instead, the organisation is looking for a suitable new location close to the centre of Wollongong.
“PCYC is working with government stakeholders to explore other potential locations in Wollongong and surrounding suburbs,” the spokesperson said.
Until that accommodation challenge is resolved, the organisation is relying on its other centres to keep the key programs going.
“PCYC services such as the Fit for Life youth program, Safer Driver courses and school holiday programs continue to operate at PCYC Bulli and other community venues.”
