INVEST IN OUR 35 NEIGHBOURHOOD HOUSE COMMUNITIES TO THRIVE, NOT JUST SURVIVE

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1 Tasmania INVEST IN OUR 35 NEIGHBOURHOOD HOUSE COMMUNITIES TO THRIVE, NOT JUST SURVIVE Budget Submission to the Tasmanian Government for the 2017 / 2018 State Budget from Tasmania DECEMBER 2016

2 The staff and volunteers of the Network of Neighbourhood Houses acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which we live, work and play, and pay respects to their elders past and present, and acknowledge their ongoing resilience.

3 INVEST IN OUR 35 NEIGHBOURHOOD HOUSE COMMUNITIES TO THRIVE, NOT JUST SURVIVE Budget Submission to the Tasmanian Government for the 2017 / 2018 State Budget from Tasmania Contact: John Hooper, Executive Officer Tasmania PO Box 169, MOONAH TAS 7009 Phone: john@nht.org.au Tasmania

4 CONTENTS Summary of recommendations 3 need to thrive, not just survive 7 Why increase core funding? 8 Unfinished business 9 Investing in is investing in the Government s own agenda 11 RECOMMENDATION 1 Beyond Survival Funding 19 RECOMMENDATION 2 A new way of working? Whole of Government funding 20 RECOMMENDATION 3 King Island special circumstances for Phoenix House 21 RECOMMENDATION 4 Solve Derwent Valley s infrastructure woes 24 The needs of Tasmania the peak body 25 RECOMMENDATION 5 Tasmania staffing capacity 28 Conclusion 28 Tasmania Budget Submission to the Tasmanian Government for the 2017/2018 State Budget 2

5 SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS RECOMMENDATION 1 That the government invest an extra $ per annum in the 33 DHHS Funded in Tasmania. This is the equivalent cost of employing a 0.5 FTE (19 hours per week) SCHADS 5 position at each House and would enable each House to have funds sufficient of employ 2 FTE in every community. Annual cost: $ per annum or $ over four years. Responsible Department: Department of Health and Human Services RECOMMENDATION 2 A whole of Government approach to funding and increased funding terms through 5 year Funding Agreements. RECOMMENDATION 3 DHHS investigate, in conjunction with NHT and the Houses, how a Category C classification could be created and attached to the current Neighbourhood House Framework. DHHS recurrently resource Phoenix House from King Island under the above Category C or if not feasible create a remote community development fund to support their community. Annual cost: $ per annum or $ over four years. Responsible Department: Department of Health and Human Services RECOMMENDATION 4 Provide capital funding of approximately $ to enable the relocation of the Derwent Valley Neighbourhood House to suitable premises. Responsible Department: Department of Health and Human Services RECOMMENDATION 5 Funding for a 0.5 FTE position to: 1) improve support to community led governance; 2) embed quality reporting on outcomes in the network of ; and 3) continue to support workforce development in the Houses. Cost estimate: 0.5 FTE (19 hours per SCHADS Level 6.2 equals $ per annum including on-costs. Responsible Department: Department of Health and Human Services Tasmania Budget Submission to the Tasmanian Government for the 2017/2018 State Budget 3

6 ABOUT NEIGHBOURHOOD HOUSES Tasmania Inc. lodges this submission to the State Government budget process as the peak body for the 35 around the state. More information about the peak body can be found here: About NHT and the Network of Houses There are 33 funded by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Disability & Community Services Division under the Neighbourhood House Program, and supported through Tasmania as their peak body. (Two member Houses are not DHHS-funded.) All Houses primarily engage in community development work in disadvantaged or socially isolated communities. are all separately incorporated community organisations governed by a volunteer local management committee. WHAT DO HOUSES DO? are places where people come together to support their local community and make a significant difference in people s lives. They are run by the community, for the community, and offer a wide range of programs and activities for local people. As a network the Houses form the largest community development infrastructure in Tasmania, with the most regionally diverse footprint of any non-government community service organisation in the state. Each individual House is an independent entity, run under a community governance model. Highlights from our Annual Report show: 445,336 contacts were made by community members with all Houses; This is contacts on average in each House for the year; Which is equivalent to 281 contacts per week in each House; Volunteers contributed hours across the State over the year; This means there are 120 hours of volunteering per week in each House; and Each House worked with an average of 27 partner organisations during While the above numbers are useful and tell a positive story, it is each individual story that is of most significance. Each person who connects with a House has their own story, and so many people use the House as an important part of the journey back from a crisis in their lives, or to a place of renewed confidence and skills, and/or to give back to their community. Over the last two years we have put together two significant booklets that tell the story of individuals and groups who have gained assistance from Houses. These are It s a Starting Point and Our Stories. Tasmania Budget Submission to the Tasmanian Government for the 2017/2018 State Budget 4

7 It s the everyday presence, the welcoming environment and support of Houses that makes the difference. A young mum might come into a House looking for assistance to rewrite a resume. Her young child might be able to be looked after by some of the House volunteers or the child minding program the House runs, while mum gets online using the House computers, and obtains support from another volunteer who is familiar with writing resumes and covering letters. The young mum may also connect with another mother in the Community Garden another person at the same stage in life, going through similar challenges. In this way, people develop peer support networks that help them engage with the economic, learning and social life of their communities. The power of is in acceptance, a warm welcome, a sense of inclusion, a smiling face, someone to talk to, and getting involved at the person s own pace. People visiting a House don t have to answer a lot of questions or fill out forms, and they are able to contribute in their own way. What results over time is confidence, a sense of belonging, a safe place that is just there, friendships, hope, pathways and ultimately the community benefits and grows from all of these very subtle, perhaps very ordinary occurrences that allow people the chance to become who they were before. Peter (Ravenswood) The range of activities happening in Houses across Tasmania everyday are staggering in their diversity and impact: Driver Mentoring for people needing to get their learner driver hours up before trying for their license; Literacy programs built around everyday needs cooking for your family, accessing Centrelink on line, reading to your kids; Playgroups and parenting peer support programs; Building social connections through Community Lunches, Eating with Friends, community gardens and sheds, community food coop programs; Youth programs that reach out to students disengaged from education, such as the Bike Collective at Risdon Vale; Learning to grow and cook your own vegies while making friends and support networks through our community gardens; Health programs such as the Get Active Program, or Yoga run by a local instructor, or arts classes and exhibitions all enabling people to be more active and engaged; Cooking and eating healthy food Houses are leaders in enabling better health and nutrition in our communities in practical ways; Tasmania Budget Submission to the Tasmanian Government for the 2017/2018 State Budget 5

8 Support to get on the phone and reach out for help. It may be accessing NILS loans, financial counselling or seeking support around family violence, housing, parenting support or relationship counselling; Providing public access computers. and training in how to use them. Such essential infrastructure for people who need to access Centrelink, Jobactive services etc; Developing intervention programs in partnerships with schools, police and youth justice programs that engage parents and children and young people at risk; Partnering with RTOs to utilise the practical volunteering roles at Houses to enable people into employment pathways that are particular to that community; Creating social enterprises and that enable people to build their self confidence and skills in a safe and familiar workplace before launching into open employment; and Lots of fun and laughter. A COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT APPROACH Houses create all this by working from a community development framework, which involves processes and ways of working to enable individuals and groups of people to make changes in their community, on issues that affect them. Community development is an inclusive, fair and responsive approach to creating solutions within communities. It encourages active participation, consultation and involvement from the broad community in the development, delivery and evaluation of projects. are places where local people work together to solve local problems, promoting change by the community for the community. Each community is different; it has its unique cultural, geographical, social, political and demographic characteristics, its own leaders, its own problems and its own aspirations. What works in one community will not necessarily work in another, and any attempt to impose something that worked in one community onto another not only runs the risk of failure but disempowers the people of that community because it is not their own process. Jim Ife (2006) Tasmania and our member Houses strongly believe that solutions to some challenging problems associated with education and employment lie, at least in significant part, in a community development approach, enabling people to develop local solutions to the local problem. We call on the Government to continue the work it has begun in supporting the Neighbourhood House Network and invest deeply in our community development approach to resolving Tasmania s more entrenched issues. Tasmania Budget Submission to the Tasmanian Government for the 2017/2018 State Budget 6

9 NEIGHBOURHOOD HOUSES NEED TO THRIVE, NOT JUST SURVIVE To support and enable our enterprising communities we need to recurrently provide more than Survival Funding to existing. BEYOND SURVIVAL FUNDING RECOMMENDATION 1 NHT and the Management Committees of the 33 DHHS-funded call on the Government to finish the work it started by: Investing recurrently to sustainably fund the 33 DHHS Funded Neighbourhood Houses by an average of $ extra per annum. The aim of this funding increase is to enable to employ up to 2 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) staff. ACKNOWLEDGING CURRENT AND RECENT GOVERNMENT SUPPORT NHT and the network of are very grateful for the Government s commitment to our communities. We certainly acknowledge the great investments over the last two years of: An additional $0.99 million into over the and financial years. The Government acknowledged the need for increased funding to, and provided an additional $ per House over 2 years. State Government was unable to provide this as recurrent funding due to the State Budget circumstances at the time; $100,000 allocated in to enable eight start-up Food Cooperatives to help families and individuals access low cost, healthy, fresh and nutritious food by establishing partnerships between community, local food producers, and food relief organisations; $ over four years to resource MI Fellowship (now Wellways) to work with, resource and support to better support community members and volunteers living with mental health issues; and $1.7 million to build a brand new building for the Neighbourhood House in Rocherlea. This investment is rolling out between 2015 and All of these have been great investments in enabling and supporting Houses to strengthen their communities and which they have and will continue to put to great use. Tasmania Budget Submission to the Tasmanian Government for the 2017/2018 State Budget 7

10 WHY INCREASE CORE FUNDING? Our funding history In its Budget Submission NHT called for an increase to Houses recurrent funding. The increase was to enable Houses to be adequately staffed and resourced to respond to their community s needs. A recurrent funding increase would enable them to keep up with cost of living increases and move beyond survival level funding. In it we quantified this as an investment of $ per annum, which was appropriate at that time to enable the employment of an extra 0.5FTE per House. Our hope then and now is to create a funding paradigm that finally establishes a sustainably funded and staffed Neighbourhood House. Funding that enables the equivalent employment of two full time staff, and a Neighbourhood House that has the flexibility to invest in community projects, their infrastructure and equipment when needed. The current Government acknowledged the need through offering a two year non-recurrent rise of $ per year. At the end of those two years, with evidence clearly demonstrating what work these extra funds enabled, the government acknowledged the need again for funding above core recurrent funding by providing extra funds again over two years, but due to tighter State Budget circumstances only provided a reduced amount of $ per year for another two years. Houses have spoken about how the $ per year over two years in and enabled them to have more time with people and their community. They have reported though how the drop in to $ in extra funding has resulted in job losses and reduced outcomes for their communities. It means we cannot continue an admin person full time which is desperately needed. We cannot grow the organisation to help build community capacity without having the staff resources to support new initiatives. Northern Neighborhood House NHT has conducted analysis on the income and expenditure costs our member Houses, from both rural and urban locations. This has shown that fixed costs of electricity, insurance, phone, repairs, cleaning etc on average consume 23% of the total grant of $ for Category A. Analysis of current Award wages shows that in to employ a full time coordinator at SCHADS level 6 and a part time worker (for admin/finance/project roles) on Level 4 costs 73% of Houses core recurrent funding. This means that despite funding rises over the last 8 years, the staffing capacity of Houses has not been able to shift beyond 1.5 FTE. This leaves no funds to employ more skilled project workers or assistant coordinators or family support workers as so many Houses are desperate to do. Tasmania Budget Submission to the Tasmanian Government for the 2017/2018 State Budget 8

11 The additional funding provided has been put to great use Houses have invested these one-off additional funds in: Increased staff hours for administration, volunteers coordinators, project workers, developing and maintaining partnerships; Professional development of staff and volunteers; Community Infrastructure such as flooring and furnishings, car parking, landscaping, maintenance costs, community gardens, kitchen appliances; Equipment such as kitchen appliances, office equipment, program tools; Solar panels and energy efficiency upgrades to reduce running costs; Better outcomes for volunteers through more coordinated support, training and opportunities; Building the sustainability of important community programs like Community Sheds, Food Relief programs; Creating community events that bring people together and outreach to community members who were in need but hard to engage; and Responding to emerging and changing community priorities by supporting the development of new projects that build the capacity of their communities. UNFINISHED BUSINESS Importantly the additional funds have enabled Houses to begin to meet new and changing community demands and to contribute to the agenda of governments, including: Contributing to the process of re-design of the Child Protection system towards a preventative approach. Being located in communities and involved with families and children already as trusted and safe places, adequately resourced Houses can be integral to the transition and future state of the Child Protection system; Responding to increasing access by people living with disability who are coming to Houses seeking meaningful activities using NDIS funding; Working with partners such as Wellways, Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs Services, schools, Councils and a range of service providers to strengthen capacities for early intervention and prevention under the community development framework; Responding to, and working with ever increasing approaches from government organisations and large not for profit services who seek to leverage off Houses grassroots community connections to enable their Federal and State funded programs to reach the communities intended; Tasmania Budget Submission to the Tasmanian Government for the 2017/2018 State Budget 9

12 Implementing the DHHS Outcomes Purchasing Framework to enable evidence of the achievement of agreed outcomes, through measurement, evaluation and reporting; To build community capacity for work-readiness through a range of volunteer-led activities; and To develop new partnerships leading to increased activity and growing volunteer programs. Without adequate resourcing this vital work will diminish and outcomes will not be achieved. The last three years has shown us that extra funding for, to provide job security and continuity, needs to be recurrent. We are grateful for the investments, however now that the economy in Tasmania has improved, and the GST Revenue has increased, we ask the government to finish the work it started and provide increased recurrent funding. We noted that in 2016 the Treasurer informed the Tasmanian people that the budget circumstances had improved, in part due to GST revenue up $16.9 million. The Government has stated that we are able to reinvest back into health, education and protecting the most vulnerable (Peter Gutwein, Treasurer, ABC News 15 August 2016). Given the budget circumstance was the reason for not making House funding rises recurrent in the past, we are pleased an improved economy now can allow that investment in our communities. There is a heavy reliance on volunteers, with 189, 608 hours contributed by volunteers across the network during This is an average of 3 full time equivalent volunteers per House 1 but of course is spread across many volunteers in each House. So, while this is a great outcome for community engagement, volunteer recruitment, volunteer training, and coordination of volunteers needs adequate resourcing to be effective. Funding to enable Neighbourhood House staffing levels to increase to 2 FTE positions would enable Houses to respond and engage their communities in new ways developing local solutions and ideas for their community - our community development model of delivery. Houses are adept at doing a lot with a little - $ will go a long way! Additional funding would mean that Houses can commence or continue with a program like Thriving Communities, Healthy Families. Additional funded staff capacity would mean that volunteer programs will be better coordinated and more volunteers upskilled, with additional benefits for the volunteers themselves as well as for their communities. Effort can then be applied to delivering programs and activities to improve health and wellbeing across each community, with the follow-on benefits of healthier, more resourceful, resilient and self-reliant families and individuals. 1 Tasmania Activity Data Tasmania Budget Submission to the Tasmanian Government for the 2017/2018 State Budget 10

13 INVESTING IN NEIGHBOURHOOD HOUSES IS INVESTING IN THE GOVERNMENT S OWN AGENDA HEALTH AND WELLBEING THROUGH HOUSES A whole of community preventative approach Good health and well-being starts in families, in communities, and is more than the absence of illness. Resilient and resourceful families are able to provide a solid grounding for healthy and safe kids. As evidenced through the direction taken by the Tasmanian Government s Strong Families, Safe Kids redesign of the child protection system, there is a much needed shift away from crisis responses toward systems that support child wellbeing and safety long before crises occur. across Tasmania recognise this. The staff and volunteers at Houses see families and individuals who are struggling to maintain their sense of connection to community and relationships with each other, their economic situations, and their capacity to respond to opportunities. Every day Houses see families and people who have experienced crisis and are coming back from that, or who are on the brink of it happening. Good health and wellbeing is premised on people feeling that they have opportunities and resources, that they feel part of a community and that they know where to get help if they need it. It is the stepping stone to contributing to society through participation in training, education and employment. Houses play a significant role in health and wellbeing in their local community. Houses have a diverse range of programs and activities and have identified several key solutions that contribute to the important benefits and improvements of health and wellbeing in individuals and families: Through initiatives like the Thriving Communities Healthy Families (see Case Study 4), support was extended to hard to reach families who had been disengaged or disenfranchised from other mainstream services and supports. Houses worked proactively to engage those individuals and families into the activities of Houses; Facilitating the shift in people from being visitors to Houses, into volunteering and then to gaining the skills and confidence to join Committees of Management, and subsequently moving on to employment and/or education; A range of activities designed to support wellbeing and participation in society Learner Driver Mentoring programs, skills development in IT, food and nutrition programs, community gardens, food co-ops, community and men s sheds; Space at Houses for visiting services to provide outreach in communities where there is no permanent location for those services; and Partnerships and relationships with Child and Family Centres, schools, other services, and developing referral pathways and collaborations. Tasmania Budget Submission to the Tasmanian Government for the 2017/2018 State Budget 11

14 HILLTOP FRESH PRODUCE PROJECT is a collective approach by a coalition of community organisations led by Burnie Community House. The primary focus is to address food insecurity in Shorewell Park, an area identified as one of the most disadvantaged communities in Australia. Its purpose is to: Develop a community food hub that creates a sustainable model that improves the health and well-being of the local residents and others by increasing access to affordable, goodquality, fresh produce; Create opportunities and pathways to training and employment; and Increase skills and knowledge around healthy lifestyle choices. Community-based food hubs have a successful history of improving food access to communities in areas of disadvantage. They also act as a space for the community to come together and make positive connections to the wider world. Volunteer participants have received accredited training and skills development at the Burnie Community House and TasTAFE Burnie. The participants actively work in the market garden and produce store. Informal learning also takes place at Burnie Community House by offering programs, workshops and activities centred on healthy lifestyle and food choices. CASE STUDY 1 Tasmania Budget Submission to the Tasmanian Government for the 2017/2018 State Budget 12

15 EMPLOYMENT JOB-READINESS THROUGH THE HOUSES The Employment Services System is broken While the provision of employment services agencies (ESA s) is a Federal responsibility, the problems with this system have significantly affected people in Tasmania. Action must be taken by State and Federal Governments to address what communities, employers and individuals tell us over and again the employment services system is not working. We are not suggesting tweaking the system of employment support but to be blunt we suggest that abandoning it and starting again is the preferred option. The Neighbourhood House network is working with the State Government, employer groups and other Community Sector peak bodies to advocate for a better system. The issues our Members identified included: The continual change of the names, structure, funding and model of the employment services agencies does little to improve employment outcomes, and confuses people in situations of long term unemployment; This leads to no continuity of relationship or support of individuals seeking employment; People in rural and regional areas experience reduced access to ESA s due to the lack of local offices or outreach services; Houses are doing the ESA s work. While the ESA s claim outcomes payments it is the Houses who have supported people to build their work readiness and confidence; and Competition between different agencies in an area means they do not share job opportunities creating another barrier for job seekers. NHT and its Members through discussion with employers and employer peak body groups are all developing their own workarounds of the ESA system to try and provide what employers and potential employees truly need. It is time to stop fiddling with the margins and start again. Tasmania has a unique opportunity because of the direct relationships and stronger connections between sectors, businesses and government that could enable a joint submission to the Federal Government for change. Due to our communities being so disillusioned with the Employment Services System, Houses have engaged with employers and local partners to seek to create responses that at many levels work outside this system. By investing in recurrent funding for Houses, the Government will better enable Houses to develop local solutions that will drive employment outcomes. Tasmania Budget Submission to the Tasmanian Government for the 2017/2018 State Budget 13

16 WHAT WILL THIS MONEY ACHIEVE? HUON VALLEY WORKS The State Government last year provided $ to the Geeveston Community Centre to pilot their local employment solution. Huon Valley Works has been developed by the Huon Valley community through the leadership of Geeveston Community Centre. The community recognised the many issues associated with unemployment identified above, and chose to take control and find local solutions. The Hub uses a labour hire model and works with local employers to link various local part time job opportunities from different employers, to create more sustainable employment opportunities for individuals. This solution assists to meet the need of employers with short term and/or part time employment opportunities. In many ways Huon Valley works is a simple concept it brings together the old CES jobs board concept, with all the jobs in a regional community listed in one place that s accessible to job seekers. Access to information about available jobs is not fragmented across different job service agencies. There is one place for the employer and potential employee to go to. It also adds an ethical labour hire component, by bringing together the various part time jobs and linking them together into a more sustainable job for someone. The value-add is that the Hub is connected to the Neighbourhood House which will mean people will have the supportive environment of the House if life issues come up that might be a risk to their new job, for example education gaps. It also means that those people that may not be quite job ready can get involved in the House and build their skills and confidence before moving onto Huon Valley Works. CASE STUDY 2 Tasmania Budget Submission to the Tasmanian Government for the 2017/2018 State Budget 14

17 READY SET GO LEARNER DRIVER MENTORING AT CLARENDON VALE, WARRANE MORNINGTON, AND RISDON VALE NEIGHBOURHOOD CENTRES This project began in 2006 when we identified a need for improved transport facilities within the City of Clarence. Families and individuals had a common problem with transport to and from school, shopping, medical appointments, employment interviews, and their everyday work places. There was no clear solution in sight. It was apparent that not having a driver s license meant that a person s chances of employment were low. Long delays were being experienced between the availability of public transport and set appointment times. The use of taxis as transport was an expensive option and not viable for most residents. In addition, the cost of driving lessons and the number of lessons required was prohibitive. Constant requests for assistance with transport by local highlighted this problem. Through consultation with the Clarence City Council, Clarence Plains Youth Centre, the four throughout the city and other interested parties, a plan was formulated to assist less privileged community members to gain their Provisional Licenses at minimal cost. A working group was formed, funding sought and gained, volunteer mentor drivers recruited, and a vehicle purchased. The program was initially run from Rokeby Neighbourhood Centre, and then transferred to Clarendon Vale Neighbourhood Centre. 49 participants have since gained their licenses and experienced substantial lifestyle changes often in the areas of education and employment. We ve also found that it is not just the individuals who benefit, but in most cases their families also gain independence, and take an increased part in community functions as a family group. CASE STUDY 3 Tasmania Budget Submission to the Tasmanian Government for the 2017/2018 State Budget 15

18 EDUCATION ENGAGEMENT THROUGH THE HOUSES Education is the number one issue of concern to and their local communities. Two Tasmanias two literacy levels Late in 2015 TasCOSS and TCCI released A Social Vision for Tasmania 2, a report which alluded to two distinct groups of Tasmanians with respect to economic and social wellbeing. deal daily with those who fit into the group who benefit little from Tasmania s economic and cultural successes. The growing inequality in Tasmania (and nationally) can and must be addressed for the benefit of all. play critical roles in supporting and engaging parents and children. Every day they are encouraging parents who may have had low educational outcomes to aim for more for their kids. Through playgroups, parenting support programs and the peer networks that Houses create, we are able to work with schools to link families into their local schools as early as possible. This role is so critical when it can engage families into schools programs like Launching Into Learning. By embracing learning from a very young age, the Launching into Learning (LiL) program is showing that educational outcomes in literacy and numeracy can be consistently and significantly improved for children if the opportunities are provided. The Launch into Learning Progress Report 2013 results show that the proportion of students who achieved all markers on the Kindergarten Development Check is consistently higher for LiL participants than non-lil students, as is also the case with Preparatory (Prep) Performance Indicators, and NAPLAN (year 3) National Minimum Standard results. An important point in the Report is that students from all socioeconomic backgrounds made significant gains in educational performance from regular participation in LiL. However, students from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds benefited most but proportionally fewer children from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds attend LiL regularly. Increasing participation in LiL for these children would improve community educational outcomes. Students who regularly participated in LiL outperform their peers (at the same schools) across all socioeconomic backgrounds in meeting minimum standards and in the proportion of those performing above average. have shown that with adequate funding they can create successful programs like the Thriving Communities Healthy Families model to actively engage children from low socio-economic backgrounds with programs like LiL, but also create play groups, parenting skill development programs and parent peer support groups. By investing in Houses the Government is investing in supporting families and raising educational outcomes for Tasmania. 2 TCCI, A Vision for Tasmania, tcci.com.au/getattachment/home/tcci-tasmaniareport-2015-final.pdf.aspx Tasmania Budget Submission to the Tasmanian Government for the 2017/2018 State Budget 16

19 WHAT WILL THIS MONEY ACHIEVE? THRIVING COMMUNITIES HEALTHY FAMILIES PILOT A significant pilot program was completed in December The Thriving Communities Healthy Families project enabled a part time Healthy Families Worker to be located in five Houses to respond to the needs of families across their respective communities over 2 years. This place-based project was evaluated through the University of Tasmania Institute for the Study of Social Change and found to be demonstrably effective in improving the health and wellbeing of disengaged families and hard to reach community members, and also in improving the integration and responsiveness of service systems in a local area. Had funding permitted, a longer term evaluation planned to show a strong value for money result through the diversion of families away from crisis child protection responses, the support of people into job-readiness and the creation of more self-reliant families. Advocacy efforts during 2015 for funding to continue and expand this project was unsuccessful. However if our recurrent funding ask was met, communities could employ again a Thriving Communities Healthy Families Worker. CASE STUDY 4 Tasmania Budget Submission to the Tasmanian Government for the 2017/2018 State Budget 17

20 EMPLOYMENT OF FAMILY SUPPORT WORKER AT WEST MOONAH COMMUNITY HOUSE Over recent years we have identified the need to employ a Family Support Worker because people were requesting support and counselling needs that existing staff weren t qualified or available to provide. Many in the community regard the West Moonah Community House as their safe haven. They prefer to engage in services within this trusted network instead of being referred to external providers where long waiting lists, transport issues, and prohibitive costs often apply. For the West Moonah Community House to provide the most appropriate and relevant services to the community, it was important to respond to as wide a scope of identified needs as possible, including a Culturally and Linguistically Diverse appropriate service. In order to set up counselling and support services we organised a major fundraiser. We hosted a Wellness Gala Dinner in 2015 which raised over $10,000 in profit. Those funds were then used to employ a Family Support Worker for one day per week for an initial period of 12 months, commencing in February The West Moonah community immediately engaged in our new services ongoing counselling sessions as well as monthly workshops that focus on preventative health and wellbeing. Many clients have recommended the quality, professional service to others, reflecting their further trust, engagement, and embrace of Family Support Worker services at the West Moonah Community House. CASE STUDY 5 Tasmania Budget Submission to the Tasmanian Government for the 2017/2018 State Budget 18

21 RESPONSES AND SOLUTIONS THAT WORK Houses are noticing significant benefits and improvements in community members who enter Houses and participate in the programs, activities and events provided to promote social support and inclusion while decreasing isolation and loneliness. Great solutions that are working in Houses include: Supporting people to progress along their pathway from being visitors to Houses, into volunteering and then to gaining the skills and confidence to commence further education or employment, and or to join Committees of Management for the House or other community organisations; A range of activities designed to support wellbeing and participation in society Learner Driver Mentoring programs, skills development in IT, food and nutrition programs, community gardens, food co-ops, community and men s sheds; Strong relationships with local schools and DoE, while actively linking families to programs like Launch into Learning; Safe and stigma free spaces at Houses for visiting services to provide outreach in communities where they have no permanent office; and Thriving Communities Healthy Families pilot, as mentioned above. Investing in health and wellbeing, education and employment-focussed partnerships through will maintain the highly effective grassroots community development, place-based approach. Support to Houses to develop and maintain partnerships in the community will enable best bang-for-buck from any funding that is available. All of these are the reasons that investing in Houses is critical to a better Tasmania. To reiterate, to thrive rather than just survive, we recommend that RECOMMENDATION 1: That the government invest an extra $ per annum in the 33 DHHS Funded in Tasmania. This is the equivalent cost of employing a 0.5 FTE (19 hours per week) SCHADS 5 position at each House and would enable each House to have funds sufficient of employ 2 FTE in every community. Annual cost: $ per annum or $ over four years. Responsible Department: Department of Health and Human Services Tasmania Budget Submission to the Tasmanian Government for the 2017/2018 State Budget 19

22 A NEW WAY OF WORKING? WHOLE OF GOVERNMENT FUNDING Core funding for Houses is delivered through DHHS. However, the work of Houses relates to many portfolios, including DHHS, Police, Education, State Growth, Justice and Child Safety. All of these agencies or their non government partners seek to partner with Houses locally. NHT would like to see an integrated, coordinated approach across the whole of government to fund. With DHHS as the lead, integrating funding from across each of these departments to could demonstrate the potential for substantive, long term place-based programs across the state. There also needs to be a change in the way funding is currently allocated, as short term funding cycles for programs reduce the potential positive impact of those programs, and even potentially increase problems for some people. Short term allocation of funding leads to a variety of problems and reduces the potential impact and value of funding. When funding is allocated for only 1, 2 or 3 years there is insecurity in employment leading to stress/anxiety/depression of workers, WHS costs and movement of staff for Houses, and the cessation of support for vulnerable community members which could negate relationships of trust, making it harder to reengage next time. Unintended consequences of the short term funding cycle include: Lag time at the commencement of a project. It takes time to get programs and activities started and to work out the most efficient way to deliver; and Loss of valuable and experienced workers, and associated project knowledge and skill as the risk of job loss approaches at the end of the funding term. RECOMMENDATION 2: A whole of Government approach to funding and increased funding terms through 5 year Funding Agreements. Tasmania Budget Submission to the Tasmanian Government for the 2017/2018 State Budget 20

23 KING ISLAND SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES Phoenix House on King Island is an associate member of NHT. Phoenix House plays a pivotal role bringing that community together. They have worked to the Neighbourhood House Strategic Framework and are committed to a community development approach. King Island, due to its physical isolation and remoteness, is a much different community than any other in Tasmania and deserves a special consideration. It is not possible for Phoenix to fit the Neighbourhood House framework in its current format. However, to their credit, Phoenix House has sought to align their work with our Neighbourhood House model, and have engaged in our journey to outcomes reporting even though it is not required of them. We do believe it is time for the government to consider creating a third category ( C ) in the Neighbourhood House Strategic Framework that embeds a category for the very remote. Our network is committed to the current Needs Based framework and its current structure. However we do believe it is possible for King Island to be considered through an additional C category. Phoenix House have advocated for funding of $ per annum for their needs, and we strongly support their bid. Currently, the Strategic Framework specifies that any new Neighbourhood House funds should be directed to a community that fits the Category A needs based criteria, so it would be a government decision to prioritise King Island over other communities that might fit Category A. If it is not possible to establish a remote category while maintaining the integrity of the current framework another solution could be to create a regional community development program of funds to support organisations like King Island that are committed to community development. Such a commitment would provide a preventive approach to health for the remote community of King Island. We propose that funding be provided for a community development program to enable Phoenix to continue their great community development work in a remote location. RECOMMENDATION 3: DHHS investigate, in conjunction with NHT and the Houses, how a Category C classification could be created and integrated into the current Neighbourhood House Framework. DHHS recurrently resource Phoenix House on King Island under a new Category C, or if not feasible, create a remote community development fund to support this community. Annual cost: $ per annum or $ over four years. Responsible Department: Department of Health and Human Services Tasmania Budget Submission to the Tasmanian Government for the 2017/2018 State Budget 21

24 SOLVE DERWENT VALLEY S INFRASTRUCTURE WOES Derwent Valley Community House and its community has been, and continues to be, disadvantaged by the physical location of the House. It is occupying a building in the Willow Court site at New Norfolk that is now owned by a private landlord, who must by the terms of sale, lease it back to the Derwent Valley Council for community use. The Council then sub-lease to the Neighbourhood House. This arrangement has led to many issues over the last ten years, with the owner at times pressuring the House and Council to discontinue the arrangement and Derwent Valley Council are very keen to see an alternative. All of this uncertainty and stress over tenure has been a constant stress and distraction to the staff and committee. The current Neighbourhood House Capital Improvement Program has identified that despite there being a pool of funds allocated to improve DVCH it is not a viable risk to invest funds in the current building. However as part of a long process of exploring options DHHS, in partnership with the House, has sourced a perfect alternative location. It is the site of the former Kindergarten for New Norfolk. It is a large block situated directly beside the Child and Family Centre and is the perfect site for the House, as it is much more central for the community. The community would love to see this site being used again for community purpose as the kindergarten, while closed in recent years, served generations of people from the Valley. The re-use of the site by the House will create great interest and good will in the community. It is our understanding that the transfer of title to DHHS from Education is imminent. This is being secured by DHHS for the purpose of it being adapted for the House when future capital building funds are available. It is the only viable option for this community. Derwent Valley Community House staff and committee, who live and breathe this issue each day, were asked to detail why the Blair Street Kindergarten site is an opportunity that should not be missed. Below is their response: Why the current arrangement with private landlord and Council is inadequate: Uncertainty of tenure with the owner unwilling to continue the current arrangement, DVCH continually has to account for uncertainties with regard to all future planning; The ongoing uncertainties regarding our location have impacted negatively upon our standing in the Community. Since approximately 2007 there have been a number of possibilities raised regarding our future location. These range from LINC, upgrade of existing location, Carinya co-tenancy, Bronte, Carinya ownership, Carinya lease; DVCH has no written lease with DV Council hence DVCH has no formal legal rights as a tenant. This makes for difficulties when issues arise around our tenure of the building; Negative impact upon DVCH s relationship with DV Council; Tasmania Budget Submission to the Tasmanian Government for the 2017/2018 State Budget 22

25 Building owner is not prepared to make any alterations or improvements to the building or the surrounding land whilst we are in residence; Maintenance issues often become the responsibility of DVCH as the owner will not financially support our tenure and due to the absence of a lease, we have no legal standing to hold DV Council responsible for costs. (Having said that, DV Council Works crews are very helpful when available); and Aside from the frustrations and disquiet regarding the current arrangement, the constant discussions have been very time consuming, hence taking time from Coordinators and Committee which could be better spent planning to address Community needs. Whilst this is perfectly fine if there is an outcome, when countless possibilities are being investigated with no end result, this loss of time becomes a disadvantage. Add to that the monetary cost involved aside from the cost of staff wages, thousands of dollars have been spent by DVCH enlisting the services of planners, legal professionals and inspectors for various sites. Why the current location and building don t best serve the community: Disability access, toilet facilities and parking are non-existent or below standard; Without the autonomy to beautify the site, the building and surrounding land are not a welcoming sight; Whilst we have permission to run our monthly Market, there is a general inability to utilise outside spaces to their advantage as the land forming part of the lease is restricted. On one side, the boundary is at the edge of the access ramp and the majority of the land is sloping and uneven; Some DV residents are unwilling or unable to come into the current building due to the history associated with the Willow Court site. A great number of local people either worked at, resided at or had relatives associated with Royal Derwent and Willow Court and cannot bring themselves to visit the area; The makeshift car park at the front of the building is inadequate and often unsafe in wet conditions; Size of kitchen makes catering for community lunches and Eating With Friends difficult; and Asbestos, whilst contained, is present in the building. Aside from the possible health risks, this brings about an increased cost when building maintenance is required. Tasmania Budget Submission to the Tasmanian Government for the 2017/2018 State Budget 23

26 What the new site s location will open up for the House and the community: Ability to provide disability access and facilities in line with current legislation; More central and easier access for both vehicular and foot traffic; For some, an opportunity to re-connect with their past in a positive way the Blair Street Kindergarten site was the commencement of the education journey for a great number of DV residents; Opportunity to work closely with the Child & Family Centre and to provide an easy transition to our services and opportunities when families are no longer eligible to attend C&FC; Opportunity to utilise the outside spaces and provide a more holistic experience for people who access the House; Ability to tailor a building to suit its purpose, rather than constantly trying to adapt to existing surroundings; and As this has been a situation plagued with ongoing issues, DVCH s relationship with DV Council has for the most part revolved around the lease issue. Without these ongoing problems we believe that DVCH and Council could be freer to put more of our efforts into working together for the benefit of the community. NHT and the network of Houses strongly support DVCH and call on the State Government to purpose build a new Neighbourhood House for the community of New Norfolk at the Blair Street Kindergarten site. Government would need to scope the cost of such a build, however we note that Northern Suburbs Community Centre was allocated a figure of $1.7 million for the building of a new Neighbourhood House in that community. RECOMMENDATION 4: Provide capital funding of approximately $ to enable the re-location of the Derwent Valley Neighbourhood House to suitable premises. Responsible Department: Department of Health and Human Services Tasmania Budget Submission to the Tasmanian Government for the 2017/2018 State Budget 24

27 THE NEEDS OF NEIGHBOURHOOD HOUSES TASMANIA THE PEAK BODY NEIGHBOURHOOD HOUSES TASMANIA STAFFING CAPACITY Tasmania (NHT) works with our member organisations, other sector peaks and with Government towards a Tasmania where people and their communities are resourceful and resilient. The Network of Tasmania s 10 year Vision aspires to have a peak organisation with on-going capacity to: 1. Strengthen the capacity of to meet their community s needs; 2. Build a strong, recognised and trusted reputation for the Neighbourhood House Network; and 3. Be a supportive, innovative and well governed organisation enabling NHT to meet members needs. NHT is a high performing peak body, achieving results that enable 35 across Tasmania to do what they do best to use a community development approach to support local communities in ways that make a real difference in people s lives. Currently a small team of 2.2 FTE are funded through DHHS peak body funding to support the Network with communications, resources, guidance on governance, policy and procedures, skills development, coordination of projects, issues and funding advocacy, and maintaining an integrated Network. Within the 2.2 FTE are also the business and operational functions of NHT as an organisation: finance and budgeting, administration, our own governance and policy framework and asset management. Additional one off program funding contributes to the overall work of the Network, including Outcomes Reporting support, Workforce Development and Everyday Literacy for Local Communities programs. Core recurrent funding for NHT as a peak has been static in real terms since 2009, which is not reflective of the growth of the organisation and its increased activity. Outside of ERO and Indexation, which all DHHS funded organisations have received, NHT has not had an increase in funding in 7 years. Demands on the network of have increased dramatically in recent years. Houses are now entering into additional partnerships and are supporting communities in ever-expanding ways, such as with children disengaged from school and people living with disability seeking to access Houses under the NDIS model. This has seen additional work flow to the Network peak to support Houses within the Strategic Framework and with emerging issues. The key areas of concern regarding resourcing are discussed on the following pages. Tasmania Budget Submission to the Tasmanian Government for the 2017/2018 State Budget 25

28 INVOLVING PEOPLE IN THEIR COMMUNITY COMMUNITY-LED GOVERNANCE Community members take on roles within the House through volunteering and joining local Boards of Management. Community-led committees of management are an opportunity for skills development among members, while also representing the needs of communities. These grass-roots initiatives can demonstrably be linked to reduced social isolation and improved educational and economic engagement of community members. The Strategic Framework , as endorsed by the Tasmanian Government, commits the network to community governance and is a vital part of the commitment to the overall framework. NHT has evidence that work undertaken as the peak body to provide resources and skills to Houses to improve local governance has been highly effective with 71% of members reporting that NHT has enabled them to improve governance through better understanding of roles and responsibilities, improved decision-making and delegation processes and guidance on policy and procedures. The capacity within NHT to continue to build community capacity in this way must be increased. FOCUSSING ON OUTCOMES A priority for NHT is to coordinate the implementation of the DHHS Outcomes Framework across the Network. Commencing in , this work is: Building evidence of progress towards achieving the outcomes that communities and Government want to see; Demonstrating the immense impact of the community development model in action: turning lives around through the work that happens for communities by communities in every House; Supporting Houses to respond, plan and improve, based on data and evidence; and Enabling us to quantify the activities that happen across the Network, and the contribution made by volunteers. This work takes time. Year 1 of implementation ( ) was made possible with one-off funding that has now been fully expended. Houses have needed to make significant changes to transition to the Outcomes Framework, and need on-going support and central coordination to achieve a successful implementation across the Network. NHT needs to be supported as a sector leader in implementing the Outcomes Framework and shifting the reporting, continuous improvement and advocacy effort away from activity and towards results. Outcomes from a range of place-based and community-driven activities may not be as easy to measure as long term population data but with appropriate resources and effort NHT could contribute to a data development agenda to develop valid and reliable measures. Tasmania Budget Submission to the Tasmanian Government for the 2017/2018 State Budget 26

29 DHHS requires that Houses report on outcomes through the current Funding Agreements. NHT wants to continue to build on the learnings from the first year of outcomes reporting, and to support Houses to be compliant with DHHS requirements. Building the evaluation expertise of coal-face House coordinators and staff, volunteers and committee members requires further NHT support to minimise diversion of core staff from community development work, and to ensure consistent, accurate and well-presented data across the Network. NHT has used the Results-based Accountability approach across the Network, including evaluating NHT s own performance. The results are positive and demonstrate that NHT is strongly connected to its member Houses, providing support with projects, local governance, linkages across and beyond the Network, advocacy, lobbying, and skills and knowledge development. The network of and NHT is an important and on-going partner to Government in effecting social change. A small investment will ensure that NHT has on-going capacity to continue to perform well as a peak body. WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT There is an urgent need for workers in high demand industry segments, including aged and community care, and disability services since the introduction of the NDIS. There is also a need to address an over-representation of underemployment and unemployment in locations of disadvantage across the State. are perfectly situated to provide unique place-based environments for workforce development that can contribute to a response to these issues. Beyond the development of their paid staff, Houses are a place to develop skills and competencies in volunteers and community participants in the House, as well as community members that come to the House to engage in programs and want to progress on pathways to becoming work ready and to look for employment. Houses provide and create opportunities for people disengaged from their communities to make connections through a wide variety of social and volunteer opportunities. For many people in these communities formal education was a bad experience, and Houses play a vital role in bridging the gap back to formal education and learning environments. The traditional classroom scenario does not work for many people, but supportive House environments have proven successful. For example, in the past 2 years 13 Houses have engaged with accredited Certificate 2 and 3 courses, representing approx. 300 training places with 220 individuals completing their course many of whom had been disengaged from education for a long time. A priority for NHT is to support the development, acquisition and delivery of accredited and non-accredited training for the staff, volunteers and House communities. While there is current funding for workforce development within the network, this is one off project funding and will cease in March To provide ongoing support and development, ongoing funding is needed. Tasmania Budget Submission to the Tasmanian Government for the 2017/2018 State Budget 27

30 RECOMMENDATION 5: Address NHT s lack of any increase in core recurrent funding since 2010 by funding a part time worker to: Improve support to community led governance; Embed measurement and reporting on outcomes in the Network of ; and Continue to support workforce development in the Houses. Cost estimate: 0.5 FTE (19 hours per SCHADS Level 6.2 equals $ per annum including on-costs. CONCLUSION are places where people come together to support their local community and make a significant difference in people s lives. They are run by the community, for the community, and offer a wide range of programs and activities for local people. As a network the Houses form the largest community development infrastructure in Tasmania, with the most regionally diverse footprint of any non-government community service organisation in the state. Each individual House is an independent entity, run under a community governance model. The power of is in acceptance, a warm welcome, a sense of inclusion, a smiling face, someone to talk to, and getting involved at the person s own pace. People visiting a House don t have to answer a lot of questions or fill out forms, and they are able to contribute in their own way. Good health and wellbeing is premised on people feeling that they have opportunities and resources, that they feel part of a community and that they know where to get the help they need. It is the stepping stone to contributing to society through participation in training, education and employment. Houses play a significant role in health and wellbeing in their local community. For example, Houses play critical roles in supporting and engaging parents and children. Every day they are encouraging parents who may have had low educational outcomes to aim for more for their kids. Through play groups, parenting support programs and the peer networks that Houses create, we are able to work with schools to link families into their local schools as early as possible. Tasmania Budget Submission to the Tasmanian Government for the 2017/2018 State Budget 28

31 Houses are always seeing the great benefits and improvements in community members who enter Houses and participate in the programs, activities and events provided to promote social support and inclusion while decreasing isolation and loneliness. Investing an extra $ per annum in 33 Houses will finally get Houses on a sustainable footing. By choosing to invest in Houses Government is investing in the health and wellbeing, education and employment-focussed partnerships Houses create in our low socio economic disadvantaged, and isolated communities. Through increasing Neighbourhood House funding government will be backing communities to help themselves which is the core of the highly effective grassroots community development, place-based approach of Houses which strengthen communities. Support to Houses will always enable best bang-for-buck from any funding that is available and Government knows it is spent on what the community most needs because local communities are driving each House. All of these are the reasons that investing in Houses is critical to a better Tasmania but we ll let Peter from Ravenswood have the last word: What results over time is confidence, a sense of belonging, a safe place that is just there, friendships, hope, pathways and ultimately the community benefits and grows from all of these very subtle, perhaps very ordinary occurrences that allow people the chance to become who they were before. Tasmania Budget Submission to the Tasmanian Government for the 2017/2018 State Budget 29

32 (03) Tasmania PO Box 169, Moonah, Tasmania, 7009 facebook.com/neighbourhoodhouses