Neighbourhood houses and disaster recovery Expand Year released: 2020 Summary: This research report was written by Laura Schieh during an internship with Neighbourhood Houses Victoria. Victoria’s neighbourhood houses, particularly those in rural and regional communities most often affected by natural disasters, often take on the work of community disaster response but do so with little structural support or adequate resourcing in the short-term response or the long-term recovery process. This report analyses four scenarios: Black Saturday 2009 (Kinglake Ranges Neighbourhood House) St Patrick’s Day Fires in Corangamite Area 2018 (Camperdown Community House) East Gippsland Fires 2019-20 (Buchan Neighbourhood House) Floods 2011 (Rochester Community House)
Portable Long Service Leave Expand In response to: Draft Long Service Leave Benefits Portability Interim Regulations Submitted: June 2020 Summary: Whilst NHVic supports the concept of portable long service, it is opposed to the forced introduction of the Portable Long Service Benefits Scheme. Our members have expressed great concern about the increased operational and administrative costs, lack of coverage clarity, incompatibility with existing EBA arrangements and the complexity and duration of record keeping that the scheme places on small community-based organisations like neighbourhood houses. All in all, the cumulative impact of the PLSBS actually has the potential to jeopardise the ongoing employment of the very people that the scheme is purporting to help. Download
Skills for Victoria Expand In response to: Department of Education and Training's 'Skills for Victoria' Issues Paper Submitted: June 2020 Summary: Our submission puts forward several recommendations including: Advocate federally for a shift to a new VET system adopting and adapting key features of successful European economies, including the expansion of apprenticeships or traineeships. Develop an integrated VET structure that articulates the role of Learn Local providers as a complementary provider of accredited and pre-accredited training. Reform the funding mechanism to ensure the actual cost of high-quality delivery is covered with consideration of learner need, market size and provider scale. Incentivise and resource collaboration between Learn Local providers and TAFEs
How many neighbourhood houses are there in Victoria? Expand There are just over 400 neighbourhood houses across Victoria. 52% of these are in metropolitan Melbourne 13% are in regional/rural towns with populations greater than 10,000 14% are in rural towns with populations between 3,000 to 10,000 20% are in rural towns with populations less than 3,000 Across Australia, there are over 1,000 neighbourhood houses - that's more than the number of McDonalds!
Chief Executive Officer - Nicole Battle Expand Nicole is responsible for overseeing the overall strategic operations of Neighbourhood Houses Victoria, and providing effective leadership for the sector. This includes ensuring a strong culture of governance and accountability, and advocating to government and other external stakeholders to ensure the sustainability of the neighbourhood house sector now and into the future. Nicole holds a Bachelor of Social Work from Victoria University, as well as a Master of Public Policy and Management from the University of Melbourne. She has over ten years experience working in local government, holding senior roles within Community Development, Youth Services, Emergency Management and Governance. She has also held a number of positions within the not-for-profit sector, as well as teaching politics and gender studies at Melbourne University. Nicole is passionate about social justice and is particularly interested in gender equality and Indigenous rights. She regularly attends classes at her local community centre, and has been a longtime supporter of neighbourhood houses and the important role that they play within local communities. As of 2019 she is the current President of the federal peak body, the Australian Neighbourhood House and Centres Association (ANHCA).
Adequacy of Newstart and other welfare payments Expand In response to: Senate Inquiry Submitted: September 2019 Summary: In partnership with our state counterparts, we submitted our calls for: an immediate $75 per week income to the single rate of allowances including Newstart an immediate 30% increase in Commonwealth Rent Assistance the establishment of an independent expert panel to set future rates for pensions and allowances the inclusion of a wage-based component in determining future indexation the regular review of rates by the independent expert panel replacing Family Tax Benefit part B for single parents with a supplement that increases as children grow
How many people visit a neighbourhood house? Expand Over 201,000 Victorians visit a neighbourhood house in an average week. Throughout a year, over 10 million visits occur across the state.
What services do neighbourhood houses provide? Expand Every neighbourhood house is different and will provide different services and activities based on the needs of the community they are situated in. Some common services you may find at a neighbourhood house include: Adult education (pre-accredited and accredited training) Art and craft classes Childcare Community events Community lunches / Social eating groups Community gardens Digital literacy training Food banks Government services such as Centrelink, Vic Roads Job seeking support Health and wellbeing activities such as exercise, walking groups, yoga and tai chi classes Internet access Library or book swap services Maternal child health Men's Sheds Migrant support programs e.g. english classes Playgroups Room hire Referrals Self help and support groups Seniors' groups Toy libraries Visitor/tourist information Volunteering opportunities Youth programs
Chief Finance Officer - Cameron MacRae Expand Cameron is responsible for the NHVic budget and financial performance, high-level project management, strategic partnerships, and supporting member's with their own financial management through professional development and individualised support.
How do I volunteer at a neighbourhood house? Expand There are over 6,500 people who volunteer at neighbourhood houses across Victoria! Their duties could range from assisting with arts classes, to cooking meals, to office admin. If you're interested in getting involved in your local community, contact the neighbourhood houses in your area directly to find out if they have any volunteering opportunities available.
How are neighbourhood houses funded? Expand The State Government's Department of Health and Human Services provides core funding to more than 95 per cent of Victoria’s neighbourhood houses through the Neighbourhood House Coordination Program. Other sources of income may include the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Local Government, Federal Government, grants, and funds generated by neighbourhood houses themselves (e.g. room hire fees).
Communications Advisor - Petro Tsalikis Expand Petro is responsible for strategic communications and marketing, including our social media channels, website, weekly member e-bulletin and the annual conference.
Do neighbourhood houses have paid staff or is it all volunteer based? Expand At the very least, each neighbourhood house employs a Manager/Coordinator who is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the house. Depending on the size of the organisation, the paid workforce of a single neighbourhood house could vary from one to dozens! The neighbourhood house sector employs over 5,000 people across the state. Volunteers play a massive role however. Without them, many services and activities simply wouldn't occur.
Human Resources Project Manager - Jennie Huxley Expand Jennie is responsible for expanding human resources knowledge, skills and services across the sector.
How are neighbourhood houses governed? Expand The vast majority (86%) of neighbourhood houses are incorporated associations with a committee/board of governance. Otherwise: 7% are council managed 5% are auspiced by another organisation 2% are cooperatives or companies limited by guarantee
Social isolation and loneliness - a neighbourhood house perspective Expand Year released: 2020 Summary: This report focuses on the human, social and economic costs of loneliness and social isolation, the risk factors and barriers to connection, and the impact neighborhood houses have on participants sense of belonging and connection.
Policy and Research Officer - David Perry Expand David is responsible for conducting research within the sector and monitoring, analysing and communicating policy developments in areas that impact on neighbourhood houses such as adult community education, skills reform, childcare and mental health.
Digital literacy in neighbourhood houses Expand Year released: 2019 Summary: The aim of this research, funded by Australia Post, was to gain a deeper understanding of the types of digital literacy offered in neighbourhood houses in Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania. It includes data relating to timing, costs, funding, target groups, barriers and more. Download - full report: Download - Victorian snapshot:
Does the Neighbourhood Houses Victoria have authority over individual neighbourhood houses? Expand The quick and simple answer is no. As a peak body, it is our job to support and promote best practice, provide informed advice and advocate on behalf of the sector, however each neighbourhood house is its own separate entity with its own autonomy.
The inclusion of people with disability in volunteering Expand Year released: 2019 Summary: This literature review was conducted as part of the Victoria Alive project, and is intended to provide an overview of the current state of volunteering for people with disability primarily from an organisational point of view but also taking into account the experiences of people with disability.
Adult Community Education Our advocacy throughout 2018 and 2019 resulted in a Ministerial Summit and Ministerial Statement, strengthening the future of adult community education in Victoria Expand Neighbourhood houses account for two-thirds of all Learn Local providers and 49 are Registered Training Organisations (RTOs). They receive funding by the State Government to deliver subsidised training for Victoria’s most vulnerable learners to set them on the path to further education and employment opportunities. Our advocacy in this space is incredibly important to ensure the ongoing viability for current providers, as well as making it easier for more neighbourhood houses to provide this vital community service. In 2018 we partnered other peak bodies ACEVic, Adult Learning Australia and Community Colleges Australia to develop a sector statement which addressed our concerns regarding the current and future state of the Adult Community Education (ACE) sector. We were very concerned at the number of closures of RTOs and a signficant drop in the number of Learn Local organisations providing pre-accredited training. Read the statement. The statement was submitted to the Minister of Training and Skills Gayle Tierney MP. As a result, the Minister announced her intention to host an ACE Ministerial Summitt. On Wednesday 7 August 2019, our CEO Nicole Battle presented at the ACE Ministerial Summit. The summit was opened by the Minister of Training and Skills Gayle Tierney and brought together government and policy makers, industry peaks and providers, to discuss the issues impacting community education in Victoria. We put forward a series of recommendations, developed in partnership with ACEVic, Adult Learning Australia and Community Colleges Australia, and informed by a consultation process across the Learn Local sector (with responses from 143 providers, representing an impressive response rate of 79 percent). Read the recommendations. Leading up to the summit, Nicole went on her own community education roadshow to get a first hand, on-the-ground perspective of the issues impacting providers. Some of these visits were shared to social media: In November 2019, Minister Tierney launched a Ministerial Statement - the first of its kind in 15 years, outlining her priorities to elevate adult community education in Victoria.
Where are all the men? Expand Year released: 2019 Summary: The report looks at men's participation within neighbourhood houses in Victoria. The aim of the research is to explore and understand how men currently engage with neighbourhood houses, identify potential barriers to participation, and to seek the views from neighbourhood house managers and staff on how to encourage men’s involvement in the sector. It was conducted by two Melbourne University students, Erin Tidswell and Yongyi Lin, on behalf of Sussex Neighbourhood House and in collaboration with Neighbourhood Houses Victoria.
Local government support for neighbourhood houses in Victoria Expand Year released: 2016 Summary: The report looks into the scope and significant variations in the nature of the support and collaboration between local government and the neighbourhood house sectors, based on data provided by 377 Victorian neighbourhood houses.
Community careers counselling Expand Year released: 2015 Summary: What are the enablers of effective career guidance and learning choice for people with a disability? Which enablers are the most effective for educators? This report examines challenges and enablers and provides practical guidance for practitioners. This Adult and Community Further Education (ACFE) funded research was conducted as partnership between Neighbourhood Houses Victoria and the ACE DisAbility Network. Download - full report Download - guidelines for adult educators