STRATFORD’S Segue Community Hub and Arts Cafe is breathing a sigh of relief after a guarantee from the state government its funding will be ongoing.
However, the funding has sparked a debate between the state government and opposition over funding of the neighbourhood houses in Gippsland.
Jessica Darvill, who manages Segue, a Neighbourhood House, said ongoing funding, pledged by the state government this month, would keep the doors open.
“I don’t believe that it would have meant closure (without ongoing funding), but it would have meant that the opportunities we provide to the community would have been lessened,” Ms Darvill said.
“It would have had a huge impact… we (wouldn’t) be able to continue in this capacity.
“That’s opportunities for the community that would be missed. It’s the lifeblood and the people power that keep us going,” she said.
“Now we can continue the programs we have in place. We have the Kitchen Garden Programs, we have creative workshops.
“We have art exhibitions that allow local artists to display their body of work and act as a source of income as we have some of them for sale.”
Ms Darvill said Neighbourhood Houses were more important after the Covid lockdowns.
“People, after being in that state of social isolation, want to reconnect and be a part of our community. So that’s where I think we’ve been valuable,” she said.
In a statement, the government said it had committed $19 million in additional funding in a three-year period – with ongoing funding of $6.6 million annually after that – for the network of nearly 400 Neighbourhood Houses across Victoria.
The government says in 2022-23, the Neighbourhood House Coordination Program (NHCP) is investing more than $42 million a year to almost 400 Neighbourhood Houses, 16 Neighbourhood House networks and the peak body Neighbourhood Houses Victoria.
Neighbourhood Houses Victoria says the funding will allow 27 facilities to remain open.
This includes four Aboriginal-operated Neighbourhood Houses and 12 in rural Victoria; 77,000 hours of paid employment will be retained, almost entirely supporting women; and 154,000 hours of Neighbourhood House activity annually will continue, assisting 189 communities to keep operating into the future.
Disability, Ageing and Carers Minister, Colin Brooks, said the government was proud to support the Neighbourhood Houses’ “vital role” in the community.
“The powerful role of Neighbourhood Houses has never been more evident than the way the sector stepped up to provide assistance to Victorians through the pandemic,” he said.
Nationals Member for Gippsland South, Danny O’Brien, said after the Coalition’s funding announcement last month that Neighbourhood Houses were an invaluable asset to local residents.
“Ongoing funding is crucial to ensure our Neighbourhood Houses can attract high-calibre staff, so they can continue to deliver an incredible range of services to the community,” he said.
“Whether it’s through small training offerings, material support for those in need or assisting with access to government services, our neighbourhood houses play an important role in the community – particularly for those less well off.”
The Neighbourhood Houses hubs provide childcare, employment, education, training and opportunities to volunteer in local communities.
During emergencies and the pandemic, Neighbourhood Houses have provided support to communities with services such as food relief, distributing personal protective equipment, providing advice and acting as testing or vaccination sites.
The hubs are also instrumental in providing accessible education to the community, ensuring people from a diverse range of backgrounds have the opportunity to study and learn new skills that enable people to achieve their potential.
Shadow Minister for Disability, Carers and Seniors, Tim Bull, said the government’s announcement had fallen short of what Victoria’s Neighbourhood Houses were seeking.
The opposition last month committed to recurring funding if it were to form government after the November election.
“Labor has left it until the last minute to make a commitment to funding these vital community hubs – several weeks after the Liberal and Nationals commitment to annual funding – but again it is fixed term and does not have a recurrent ongoing commitment,” Mr Bull said in a statement.
“Neighbourhood Houses have made it clear they want certainty with funding to establish long-term programs and employment security for staff, but with only a three-year commitment from Labor it is impossible to do this.”
A government spokesperson told the Gippsland Times the funding would be ongoing.
“The Andrews Labor Government has provided certainty for the vital work of Neighbourhood Houses by investing in ongoing annual support for the community hubs across the state,” the spokesperson said.
“Claims that the funding will end in three years are simply wrong – it’s only a Labor Government that will back the invaluable work of Neighbourhood Houses in our communities.
“If the opposition can’t read a simple funding announcement, how can they be expected to manage Victoria’s economy?”
Neighbourhood Houses Gippsland network manager Antonia Halloran-Levelle welcomed the funding boost.
“I am really pleased to see the government support the sector and recognise this funding uplift should be recurrent,” she said.
“I know previously the Greens, Liberal Democrats, Liberals, Nationals all expressed their support. It is a step in the right direction,” Ms Halloran-Lavelle said.
“However, there does need to be more!”
Ms Halloran-Levelle said the new funding was now in the “recurrent bucket” as part of the NHCP, whereas the government’s 2018 announcement of a financial boost to a number of houses was not.
“It was only earlier this year the houses were made aware the funding (announced in 2018) was not recurring.
“Funding was (pledged) in 2018 and we assumed it would go beyond 2024,” she said.
“This (new) announcement means security for the eight houses identified and for the remaining houses is security that my role will not have to reduce.
“However, this does not impact any funding directly of the remaining 13 houses,” she said.
“A number of houses haven’t had an increase in funding since 2014 or so.
“We’re still a very unfunded sector,” she said.
There are more than 20 Neighbourhood Houses in Gippsland, with the Wellington Shire home to facilities in towns including Yarram, Stratford, Gormandale, Heyfield, Briagolong, Dargo, Rosedale, Sale and Loch Sport.
