NEWS

NCQ visits Neighbourhood and Community Centres in Western Queensland

In July,  Em James, Chris Mundy and Heather Ellis from NCQ set off on their week-long road trip to visit Neighbourhood and Community Centres in remote Western Queensland. The trip was aimed at gaining and sharing valuable insights from these centres, as well as identifying networks, opportunities and resources for building the sector in drought-affected areas.

Read more about our road trip and visits to Brilla Brilla Community Centre, Boulia Community Support Services, Mount Isa Neighbourhood Centre, Centacare, Winton Neighbourhood Centre, and Barcaldine on our Facebook Page or on website here.

NEWS

NCQ visits Neighbourhood and Community Centres in Northern Queensland and Central Queensland

Over the past 3 months, NCQ CEO Em James has visited Neighbourhod and Community Centres in North Queensland and the Central Coast.

Em received a warm welcome from the teams at Hambledon House and Marlin Coast Neighbourhood Centre in Cairns, The Neighbourhood Hub in Mackay, alongside Proserpine Community Centre, Whitsunday Neighbourhood Centre, Sarina Neighbourhood Centre, Maryborough Neighbourhood Centre and Burrum Heads Neighbourhood Centre. The visits highlighted the unique and positive impact each NCC makes in their community, and helped to build our shared understanding of the diverse experiences and strategic priorities of NCCs across QLD. 

All of the team look forward to continuing to connect with centres across the state. 

NEWS

Mareeba Community Centre Produces Stories of Resilience Video Series

Thanks to Mareeba Community Centre and the amazing contributions of twelve Mareeba community members who have openly and genuinely shared their stories of struggle, strength and resilience through incredibly tough and trying times; the Mareeba Stories of Resilience video series has been completed and is now available for viewing on the website here.

Julie Theakston, Manager of Mareeba Community Centre, invites everyone to promote and share the videos through your networks, and, if you see fit, you are welcome to make use of the videos in any events or activities you might be holding.

NEWS

July 26 is Not Alone Day
We want to take a moment to thank Neighbourhood and Community Centres!  

July 26th marks Not Alone Day, a day to promote social inclusion and building strong communities. Loneliness is part of everyone’s experience, but for many, it can be difficult to reach out to others. We want to take this opportunity to again acknowledge the work of Neighbourhood and Community Centres in the work they do individually and collectively to support their communities and people who might otherwise feel very alone.

Collective Contributions 
In August 2021, NCQ and 53 Neighbourhood Centres lodged written submissions to the Parliamentary Inquiry into Social Isolation and Loneliness and 17 centres participated in Public Briefings in Brisbane, Toowoomba, Mt Gravatt, Mt Isa, Townsville and Cairns. NCQ and State Peak bodies also lodged submissions arguing for the strategic placement of centres to respond to the loneliness epidemic.

Thank you to all of those people who took the time away from the frontline work to contribute to the inquiry. 

The result? Last month, the State Budget announced additional funding of $125.6 million over four years to increase the delivery of vital neighbourhood and community centre services. Included in this, is a $4m Innovation Fund to support community-led initiatives targeting loneliness and social isolation that may also involve NCCs.

Individual People and Centres' Contributions
There are over 147 centres in Queensland alone, each with a team of unique and incredible staff and volunteers who help people feel less alone every day.

There’s Corrie McColl and his team at the Bundaberg & District Neighbourhood Centre who are passionate about their thriving multicultural community, connecting people through training and their community garden among many other projects. 

 T Schultz at Discovery Bay Community Center reaches out to people in her remote area of Agnes Waters every day, finding people who may be feeling alone and welcoming them into an incredible range of community programs they have on offer.

 At Laidley Community Centre you’ll be greeted with a smile from their volunteer Denise, who loves to have a cup of tea, a conversation and to show people around, supporting you with whatever it is you need. She reminds us we really aren't alone - we have an incredible network of supports if we connect with our Neighbourhood or Community Centre.

To find out more about Not Alone Day, visit Like Family's website:
notaloneday.com.au

NEWS

Redland Community Centre houses 21 people in long-term accommodation

As the housing crisis has continued to grow across Queensland, many people are being left without safe places to stay, access food and connect with their families. As situations worsen, Neighbourhood and Community Centres across the state are stepping up to support their communities.

Redland Community Centre has been running its Homeless United program since 2018. What started as a dinner service, with a safe place for people to relax and unwind has grown immensely over the past few years to provide community members with meals, as well as accommodation assistance, wraparound services, Centrelink support and safe spaces for people to connect and belong, a place that could feel like home. In the last 6 months alone, they have managed to support 21 people into rental properties in an increasingly difficult market.

We want to acknowledge the team at Redland Community Centre for their care and tireless work, during incredibly challenging times and unprecedented community demand.

NEWS

Gailes Community House Celebrates its 20th Birthday! 

Congratulations to the team at Gailes Community-House who celebrated their 20 year anniversary on July 2nd! They have been providing support and engagement for their community for over 2 decades, an incredible contribution.

RESEARCH

The Wealth Inequality Pandemic
Covid and Wealth Inequality

Published 2022

This is the fourth and final report in the ACOSS and UNSW Sydney Poverty and Inequality Partnership’s COVID Build Back Fairer series. It traces changes in household wealth and its distribution through the pandemic up to December 2021 and examines the impact of policy settings, including interest rates and COVID payments, on growth in overall wealth and its distribution among different households.

RESEARCH

Simplifying The System Or Deepening Poverty? The New Remote Rent Framework In The Northern Territory

Published 2022

In early 2022, the Northern Territory published a new Remote Rent Framework, to come into effect from 5 September 2022. This radical new policy abolishes income-based rent setting in public housing in remote Aboriginal communities and Town Camps in Alice Springs and Tennant Creek.
The Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research has reported on this issue and urges the Northern Territory government to halt its implementation of the new remote rent framework until it can be properly assessed and communicated clearly to remote public housing tenants and Aboriginal representative bodies.

Warning: First Peoples Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples should be aware that this resource may contain images or names of people who have since passed away.

RESOURCES

A4 Brochure: Starting a conversation about DFV at work

This month, CSIA has made available a number of new resources you can download and use today to start a conversation about domestic and family violence (DFV) in your workplace. View them on the CSIA website here. 

This 2-page printable A4 brochure is about starting a conversation.

RESOURCES

Poster: DFV at work

The posters and flyers are designed so you can fill in details for your DFV workplace contact or local DFV service provider. You can print the posters at either A3 or A4 size for your tea room or to stick in a discrete location on the back of toilet doors.

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

Administration & Office Support - Gympie

Gympie Community Place

Job posted on: 20 July, 2022
Applications Close: 11 August, 2022

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

Child Trauma Counsellor - Innisfail

Community Support Centre Innisfail Inc

Job posted on: 16 June, 2022
Applications Close: 29 July, 2022

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

Lawyer - Flood Legal Assistance - Inala

HUB Community Projects Inc.

Job posted on: 21 July, 2022
Applications Close: 1 August, 2022

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

Raise the Age Campaign Coordinator

QCOSS

Job posted on: 20 July, 2022
Applications Close: 5 August, 2022

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

Team Leader - Financial Independence Hub

Good Shepherd Australia New Zealand

Job posted on: 15 July, 2022
Applications Close: 1 August, 2022

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

Community Legal Education Officer

Women's Legal Service Queensland

Job posted on: 15 July, 2022
Applications Close: No Deadline

CALENDAR

Upcoming dates of recognition or celebration

30 July National Tree Day
31 July International Youth Day
1 - 7 August Homelessness Week
9 August  International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples
12 August   World Humanitarian Day
19-28 August National Skills Week
22 August Wear it Purple Day
26 August Adult Learner's Week (until 8 September)