Research

NHVic has now finalised compiling a report to help guide Local Government to best practice partnerships with Neighbourhood Houses in Victoria. This is the first comprehensive benchmarking study of local government and Neighbourhood House partnership in 10 years.

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.

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.

In October-November 2017, we conducted a survey of Victorian Neighbourhood House participants in collaboration with the Department of Health and Human Services. Neighbourhood Houses were asked to select one week during a six-week period to invite all participants, including volunteers and visitors, to complete a short, anonymous, self-administered questionnaire on paper or online. Participation was voluntary. Ninety-nine per cent of all Neighbourhood House Coordination Program funded neighbourhood houses participated in the survey, producing a sample size of 46,458 participants, living in 97 per cent of Victoria’s postcodes. A similar survey was conducted in 2013 with 46,720 participants, providing good comparative data.

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.

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)

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.

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.

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.