Tuesday, 20 February 2024

Neighbourhood houses

Wendy LOVELL (Northern Victoria) (19:03): (712) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Carers and Volunteers, and it concerns a looming funding shortfall in the neighbourhood house coordination program, which could threaten the program’s ongoing viability. The action that I seek is for the minister to commit to delivering the requested additional $2.5 million in funding that Neighbourhood Houses Victoria have asked for in the upcoming budget, as well as committing to having a growth fund that would fund five new neighbourhood houses per year for the next four years.

There are over 400 neighbourhood houses in Victoria, and they provide a vital service across our state, especially in the regions. I witnessed this firsthand during the October 2022 floods, when the Mooroopna Education and Activity Centre and the Rochester Community House were central points of contact and support during the early crisis phase. They have continued to be central to the recovery in their communities. Neighbourhood houses offer a space where the community can meet, socialise, develop connections, find help and discover purpose. They provide toy libraries and book swaps, English classes and internet access, men’s sheds and child care, community gardens and communal lunches, arts and crafts and food banks. These services are delivered by over 5000 staff and almost 7000 dedicated volunteers, who receive 10 million visits a year and give out 2000 tons of food relief.

But the future of neighbourhood houses is under a cloud. For a service that already runs on a shoestring budget, cost increases and a shortfall of funding together seriously threaten the long-term sustainability of the program. The funding shortfall is the result of many factors, but at the heart of the issue is the gap between real inflation and the agreed-upon consumer price indexation of funding. Put simply, in the real economy food and energy and wages are all getting more expensive, but planned increases in funding to neighbourhood houses are not keeping pace. Without urgent support, the food banks will soon have to start turning people away.

Neighbourhood Houses Victoria have appealed for additional funding in the order of $2.5 million, and I wholeheartedly support their request because of the fantastic services that neighbourhood houses provide. They provide invaluable benefit to the community, and the government must do whatever it can to ensure these houses remain sustainable into the future. Funding is also required to support the growth of new neighbourhood houses in areas where there are obvious needs. I urge the minister to commit to funding the neighbourhood houses.