Strength in people strength in place

Strength

in people in place

The role and value of place-based Neighbourhood and Community Resource Centres in Western Australia

Contents There’s strength in place......................................................................3 What are Neighbourhood and Community Resource Centres?.........................................................4 Family centre prompted citizenship application........................6 Centres as community hubs...............................................................8 A one of a kind Playgroup in WA.....................................................9 A key element of infrastructure...................................................... 10 Programs, activities and services................................................... 12 External groups and organisations............................................... 13 Partnerships and collaborations.................................................... 14 Strengths and assets........................................................................... 14 Positive energy for active children................................................ 15 Community development focus..................................................... 16 Building inclusive and resilient communities............................ 17 Responding to community need................................................... 18 Places of community and friendship............................................ 19 Local decision making........................................................................ 20 Volunteering opportunities.............................................................. 21 From morning tea to heart of the community......................... 22

Cover image: Varsha and Nikhil make the most of a Family Fun Day at West Stirling Neighbourhood House

Š Linkwest 2017 2

There’s

Strength Place in

Much of Western Australia’s targeted services system has been designed to support people through crises. It tends to address presenting problems, rather than emerging needs or background issues that cause people to be vulnerable in the first place.

Place-based approaches are a way of developing and delivering local solutions to local problems. They can focus on prevention and early intervention approaches in addition to crisis services, to help support people and solve issues before problems escalate. Place-based approaches can increase people’s participation in education and training, and increase local employment opportunities, which combined, will help people target the causes of poverty and overcome it in the longer term.1 The Neighbourhood and Community Resource Centre sector IS place-based. Many of these small, community managed centres have been entrenched in their communities for 30 years or more, building on the strengths and assets that already exist within their communities.

Centres are much more than the sum of their parts.

The degree of expertise and community connectedness inherent within these small community managed organisations cannot be artificially constructed or replicated.

Neighbourhood and Community Resource Centres have a vital role to play in the achievement of local, state and federal government social outcomes. However, they require resources, support and flexible funding to do this. They also need the government to recognise and acknowledge – in policy – the importance of these place-based organisations to their local communities, as opposed to being stuck in the cycle of having to ‘prove their worth’ to each successive government.

With Centres often the quiet achievers in their communities, this document is intended not only to provide a bit of an overview of the Neighbourhood and Community Resource Centre sector, but to uncover just a fraction of the great work happening daily in these vital place-based community hubs.

1 Communities Taking Power – using place-based approaches to deliver local solutions to poverty and disadvantage, VCOSS, October 2016 Gascoyne Junction CRC’s Picture in the Park event offered an opportunity for local kids (and adults) to get together over pizza and a family-friendly movie.

Family Flags and a Pot Luck Lunch at Midvale Family Centre gave families the opportunity to share not just food, but experiences from different cultures.

What are Neighbourhood and Community Resource Centres?

99 Neighbourhood and Community Resource Centres are friendly, informal community members meet for a variety of activities at minimal cost.

places where

99 Centres work at the heart of communities assisting many thousands of individuals, contributing to improvements in public health and local community development. They offer and provide activities, programs and services that support the objectives of social inclusion and address a multitude of factors that can lead to social exclusion.

People who attend their local Centre tend to be happier, more optimistic, have increased emotional wellbeing, and are more connected. All of which makes for stronger, healthier communities.

99 Each Centre reflects the needs and aspirations of its own community and provides services and activities in response to community input. Members of the community are encouraged to help in the Centre’s organisation, management and use.

99 Most are community self-funded.

managed not-for-profits, some are council run, and some Centres are

99 Centres are open and welcoming to everyone in the community: from the very young to the most senior, those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, parents, children, people with a disability, those looking to learn new skills, or those looking for friendship and community connection.

99 Activities offered by Centres include workshops, adult and community education, discussions, displays and social events. The activities are as diverse as the communities the Centre serves and can include arts and crafts, health and fitness, business and finance, computing and IT, and personal development.

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community participation Western Australian centres directly touch the lives of around 27,000 people each week, offering a vast array of activities that encourage and promote positive interaction and participation.

99 Centres operate in a localised way to respond to a range of issues and opportunities. They have capacity for flexibility and responsiveness and to shift priorities and resources as new needs emerge.

They work in ways that engage local people in local solutions and as such play a critical role in community capacity building.

The non-stigmatising nature of these centres means that they provide an effective prevention and early intervention service by engaging with vulnerable and hard to reach groups with whom the more targeted mainstream services struggle to engage.

99 Centres vary significantly in their scope, resources, services, operating hours, employee structure, and type of programs depending on the different needs, concerns and interests of the communities they serve. They also go by many names: neighbourhood centres, family centres, learning centres, community centres and community resource centres.

99 Some Centres provide crèche during workshops and activities; some have youth groups, playgroups, self-help and support groups, after-school or vacation care. Community Resource Centres also offer a vital access point to a range of local, state and federal government services to those in regional and remote areas.

99 Some activities and programs are entirely funded, some are partly funded and charge a small fee, while a range of services are provided in partnership with other service providers and agencies.

Yangebup Family Centre’s Suq Al’usra Family Market was a celebration of the community’s diverse cultural heritage

Family centre prompted citizenship application I have been attending the Yangebup Family Centre for five years.

On a personal level, the Yangebup Family Centre has been a lifeline to being part of the community. I am an immigrant from the USA and while our cultures are similar they are also quite different. I was having a hard time assimilating before moving into the suburb and finding the family centre. Since finding and becoming part of the centre, I have made many connections and friendships within the community, thus making me feel as though I am a part of both it and Australia as a whole. This helped me make the decision to seek and receive my citizenship, which I did in 2015.

S

I was introduced to art through a session held at the centre and have since become a paid working artist selling my works, which has completely changed mine and my family’s life. One of my paintings that I collaborated with my daughter hangs at the family centre. I would not have this whole aspect in my life without the family centre making this connection for me.

ince finding and becoming part of the centre, I have made many connections and friendships, making me feel a part of both it and Australia as a whole.

The Yangebup Family Centre is a beacon of light in the darkness, a lighthouse of sorts. As you know, some of our local communities are struggling with low income and the introduction of street drugs. The family centre offers us a safe place, a harbour, if you will, a guiding light to bring us together and remind of the importance of community and that together we can bring change and become stronger. Without that, it’s every man, parent, woman and child for themselves, which is sad.

Because of the Yangebup Family Centre, my daughter and I are thriving in the community. There is pride in seeing our hand prints on the Centre’s Totem Poles, pride in the friendships we make within the facility, pride within ourselves from the things we have learnt in our time there.

Christy Local resident and member of the Yangebup Family Centre community

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vital community space Centres are much more than the buildings they occupy and the facilities they offer. They are safe ‘gathering’ places for people to connect, learn and grow: places where community is built.

Neighbourhood and Community Resource Centres as community hubs 2

The Victorian Competition and Efficiency Commission (2009) defines a community hub as: the complex system of physical facilities, programs and social networks that aim to improve people’s quality of life. These services, networks and physical assets work together to form the foundation of a strong neighbourhood.

Community hubs generally have limited revenue streams, many of their benefits are broader than the municipal level, and they form a part of the government obligation to provide for communities.2

Characteristics of a GOOD community hub.

Not surprisingly, Neighbourhood and Community Resource Centres tick all the boxes: 99 Located in an activity centre or node 99 Provide a focal point for the community 99 Contain a number of (related) services and facilities 99 Have an inter-generational focus 99 Be “owned” by the community 2 Thinking economics when planning for community hubs: Andrea Skraba, SGS Economics and Planning

“I would be lost without our wonderful Family Centre. It is such a warm, inviting place.”

– Nicky Thompson, Chairperson Kalungah-Myah Family Centre

Playgroups with Pride – a one of a kind in WA I have been using the Derrick Ernst Neighbourhood Centre, which has the only LGBTQ Playgroup in Western Australia, for the past three years.

It’s so nice to be able to go somewhere and not have to answer the usual questions of what does your husband (or wife) do. Because everyone else in Playgroups with Pride is Gay, it takes the pressure off. It’s also great for the kids to see other families like theirs, and see that it’s okay to have two mums or two dads, or to have a trans parent or one that is non-binary. It helps them to know how they fit in the world.

I have never had a place where I felt so welcome before. Sometimes you can go to places and not be sure how you are going to fit in, but here it was just really good, straight away.

We are primarily a playgroup, but we are also a support group, and help families. We can answer questions, point people in the right direction and generally just be there for the community.

As the Centre’s Chairperson, I not only use the Centre for personal purposes, but help run it. All the staff are lovely and welcoming and open and I would definitely recommend the centre to anyone, for any of the services it offers. As well as a variety of playgroups, there are courses open to the whole community, such as first aid training and safety for kids training.

Without Playgroups with Pride WA and all the courses offered at the Derrick Ernst Neighbourhood Centre, I would be very much on my own. The staff at the Centre, as well as the friends I have made at Playgroup are what keep me going. They are my lifeline, and without them I just don’t know what I would do.

Joey Cookman Playgroups with Pride, and Chairperson Derrick Ernst Neighbourhood Centre 9

Neighbourhood Centres – a key element of social infrastructure 3

There are many challenges currently facing Australian society, such as the increase in child abuse and family violence, persistent patterns of disadvantage, and there is the need to put in place policies aimed at delivering stronger and more cost-effective services to improve outcomes for children and families.

Around the world, research indicates that the success of such services is intimately connected to the level of engagement of the community itself. Without local buy-in, the effectiveness of programs suffers.

Neighbourhood and community centres are uniquely placed to play a strong role in the delivery of a whole range of social services. Being embedded in the community, these centres can contribute significantly to improving the lives of the children and young people, families and the elderly, within their neighbourhoods.

Research shows that neighbourhood centres form a key element of the social infrastructure of disadvantaged communities.

The infrastructure provided by centres can be quickly mobilised, expanded or readjusted to respond to local needs, emerging issues, or opportunities.

Neighbourhood centres improve outcomes for children and families in three main ways, by: 99 Providing a range of direct services 99 Acting as a conduit to other services 99 Providing indirect benefits such as improving social networks and building social capital.

Key findings also indicate that preventive and positive development programs are the most cost-effective. This preventive and positive approach forms the basis of programs, activities and services offered by Neighbourhood Centres.

3 Neighbourhood and Community Centres: results for children, families and communities, GĂźl Izmir, Ilan Katz and Jasmine Bruce, Social Policy Research Centre: UNSW 2009

Staff and children from Sudbury Community House in Mirrabooka, get into the Christmas spirit

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Around 27,000 Western Australians visit or use centres in an average week. This is equivalent to 150 people per centre each week.

The top five

programs, activities or services provided

by Centres: 1. Information and referral (93% of centres) 2. Community events/ festivals/ markets (83% of centres) 3. Art and craft (69% of centres) 4. Business services e.g. public computer, Internet access, printers (66% of centres) 5. Computer training/ digital literacy, Health and well-being programs, and Seniors’ programs (all three = 62% of centres)

The Wellstead community had an opportunity to show off and share their skills and their wares at a Craft, Cultivation and Cuisine day organised by the local CRC.

Rostrata Family Centre’s 2017 Open House was a roaring success, and a highlight was their Cultural Food Discovery Afternoon Tea, with food provided by some of the member groups of the centre, and representing the cultural diversity of their membership.

The top five target groups of centres are:

1. People aged 65 years and over 2. People with a low income 3. People looking for employment 4. People who live in regional or remote communities 5. People at risk of social isolation

A safe and welcoming space Being safe and welcoming community hubs, many external community groups and organisations use centres to deliver services. On an average month, centres provide support to six community groups and organisations who use the centre as a place to meet and/or reach out to the community. Some centres have up to 20 external groups using their facilities each month.

Some of these external groups and services include: 99 Self-help and support groups (e.g. Narcotics Anonymous, Alcoholics Anonymous), 99 Social groups (e.g. community gardens, art classes),

Over 1,000 local community groups call WA-based centres home

99 Other not-for-profit services (e.g. playgroups, toy library, financial counselling), 99 Government services (e.g. Centrelink, child health nurses, state courts), 99 Health and medical services (e.g. GPs, optometrists, home care services, chiropractor), 99 Emotional, spiritual and well-being services (e.g. meditation and exercise groups, church groups) and 99 Learning groups (e.g. driving school, tutoring).

Narcotics Anonymous is just one of the self-help and support groups operating out of Joondalup Family Centre

partnerships and collaborations In an average month, centres work with up to seven partner organisations or groups to ensure successful delivery of activities and services.

If it takes a village to raise a child, then it takes many entities to create a community! Centres often partner with different types of organisations and groups – up to seven organisations and groups on a monthly average – for the successful delivery of projects and services. The most common partners are state government (90% of centres), other not-for-profit organisations (83% of centres) and local government (83% of centres).

Centres bring to the table a range of valuable capacities and resources including: 99 Extensive, existing local relationships 99 Deep knowledge of the community 99 Commitment to engaging local people in local solutions and to building the capacity of the communities in which they are active 99 A capacity to create and support a number of volunteering roles 99 Understanding of the needs of disadvantaged and vulnerable residents 99 An excellent understanding of local networks, resources, key stakeholders, leaders and organisations.

Strength in people and partnerships Neighbourhood and Community Resource Centres are all about people and community, so it makes sense that when asked, they identified their major strengths to be their own people and their connections with the community: 99 The staff – centres felt that their staff team was one of their greatest assets, being knowledgeable, skilled and with the right outlook and personalities to work in the community space. The ability to work together as a team was reflected in low staff turnover.

99 Relationships and partnerships – being embedded in their communities, the ability to form partnerships with other organisations, including local government, was identified as a strength.

Positive energy for active children A young mum looking for an outlet for an active child to burn some energy got much more than she bargained for at Marangaroo Family Centre I looked into enrolling my daughter in Kindy at the Marangaroo Family Centre as my friend had raved about it years earlier when attending with her daughter.

For me, it was originally a lifeline as I had an extremely active child and a new baby, so I thought it would serve the purpose of burning some energy and occupying her very inquisitive mind.

Until we started at Kindy, I did not understand the quality of education being offered at the centre. I was constantly amazed at what my daughter was learning each week. The social interaction offered was seeing her flourish and make friendships that have lasted four years on.

“My baby unfolded before my eyes and became her own independent person.�

By the end of Kindy, my daughter knew numbers and the alphabet along with sounds. I honestly believe that because she started school with more than basic literacy and numeracy skills, but more importantly the social and school readiness skills she learnt at the centre, were a huge factor in her settling at school. My previously shy but overly active child, started and settled straight into school with a calmness and confidence well above the majority of her peers. And as she had been exposed to early literacy and numeracy was able to quickly build on this knowledge and has excelled at school.

This year finds me back at Marangaroo Family Centre with my youngest daughter, and it is so lovely to be back there in such a caring, welcoming environment.

I honestly believe that the service provided by Marangaroo Family Centre is invaluable. With class numbers at schools always increasing, more children with increased needs and national literacy levels being of concern, children who have learnt school readiness skills and been exposed to early literacy and numeracy at centres such as Marangaroo Family Centre reduce the burden on the education system.

Maria

Local resident and member of the Marangaroo Family Centre community 15

a community development focus A shared characteristic of centres across all states is that they subscribe to a community development focus by responding to grass roots demands.

Neighbourhood Centres utilise a community management model, which means they are community owned and managed through volunteer committees. In other words, people are involved in defining and taking action on the issues that affect them.

Centres generally offer a mix of direct service delivery and community development programs and operate as a base for a range of local activities, information and referral services and as a meeting place or community hub. Centres achieve significant synergy between these roles because there is an over-arching commitment to connecting people with a range of relationships and opportunities.

Centres, through their community development work, achieve important outcomes including the reduction of social isolation and an increase in social capital and cooperation.

Measurable outcomes

of

community development include:4

99 Reduction of isolation and alienation 99 Increase in social capital and cooperation 99 Creation or improvement of bona-fide community groups 99 Increase of opportunities for activity in the community 99 More effective community activity 99 Increase in volunteering 99 Improvement in dialogue between community and authorities 99 Coherence and effectiveness of public policies 99 Capacity of agencies, authorities and professions to engage with communities 4 Community Empowerment Division, Department of Communities and Local Government, 2006

“Retaining genuinely community-based organisations and resisting incorporation into uniform and disconnected mega-organisations is vital to our communities’ health.”

– Carmen Lawrence, Linkwest Patron

building inclusive and resilient communities In 2009, the Australian Social Inclusion Board (disbanded in 2012) developed a document outlining methods and approaches to building inclusive and resilient communities. Many of the methods and approaches outlined are core to the work of neighbourhood and community resource centres: 99 Understand the community in terms of its composition, strengths, vulnerabilities and attitudes 99 Work with and embrace diversity 99 Promote community leadership to set priorities and promote a sense of purpose 99 Build a strong and diverse local economy 99 Build strong networks and support 99 Promote learning and innovation

Benefits

of

community development include:5

99 Residents are brought together around common concerns and create improvements in their neighbourhood 99 Dialogue is created between residents and authorities 99 Positive interaction is created between formerly isolated neighbours 99 People learn new organising skills 99 Groups and organisations negotiate improvements for their members and other residents.

5 UK Community Development Foundation

Responding to Community

Need through Community Kindness

Armadale Community Family Centre is home to what they call the Spread Kindness Space, a free ‘op-shop’ run by the Centre, and stocked from donations by Centre users. It came about when a local resident contacted the Centre via Facebook to ask for help when a newly-arrived Tamil family moved in across the road. This resident was shocked that the family had been given a house but nothing to go in it, and asked the Centre for help.

Through Facebook, the Centre Coordinator, Sarah, asked for donations and they were inundated with goods, the family receiving way more than they could use. Items in excess of the family’s needs were brought back to the Centre, where staff and volunteers set up a small room that could be used as a kind of free op-shop. The Spread Kindness Space has been going ever since.

The concept is simple: Centre users provide good quality donations that other Centre users can take as needed, and anything that is not used in a month is donated to local op shops.

Sarah sees the Spread Kindness Space as a kind of ‘paying it forward’ opportunity/space for all. It enables people to give as a way of participating in the well-being of each other’s lives, as well as to receive from their own community.

It strengthens community on many levels.

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Places of Community and Friendship Neighbourhood Centres across Western Australia are places of community and friendship; where people from all walks of life are welcomed and can be part of something greater than themselves.

Belinda Murray, pictured right, has been attending the Whitford Family Centre since 2012 and has had all three of her children attend playgroup there. Belinda feels one of the greatest benefits the centre provides her and her children is the opportunity to form new friendships. The Centre is a place where parents can meet and be social with each other while also giving the children the opportunity to make new friends and to develop their social skills. “For the community of Hillarys it is a place where the children can come together and simply enjoy themselves.”

Simone Campbell, a stay at home mum with few friends with children, was so impressed with the warm and welcoming atmosphere of West Stirling Neighbourhood House, that she joined the management committee.

This not only gave her the opportunity to add value to the community, but also instilled a real sense of selfworth. Simone says;

“We live in a world where we are often away from our family network, we don’t know our neighbours and are so isolated in our lives and homes.

The facilities provided by Neighborhood Centres are invaluable and provide a sense of belonging.”

Rostrata Family Centre in Willetton is a valued community asset, with 23 different services, organisations and community groups calling the Centre home.

Carol-Ann Aitken (pictured left), is a long-time member of the Rostrata Craft Group and current Centre Chairperson. “Our Craft Group meets here weekly, and we believe that the Centre is the perfect home for us. It is a welcoming and supportive place and the staff are friendly and helpful.”

For Melissa Seedy-Dittrich (pictured right), one of the founding members of the Friendship Group at Sudbury Community House in Mirrabooka, the Centre was quite literally, life-changing. “Being at Sudbury just made everything better. So many good things have come out of being here: the people I have met and all the things I have done. I think it is really starting to shape me as a person, and make me into the person I was meant to be. It’s done me a lot of good.”

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Whole of community access is key at Greenfields Family and Community Centre

building community capacity through local

decision making

Communities are not cookie-cutter affairs. They are are unique, with their own unique problems, skill sets and strengths. Since they are unique, one-size-fits-all solutions to what can be complex problems – particularly in terms of tackling poverty and disadvantage – may not provide desired results.

Local decision making (or bottom-up decision making) is key to building community capacity.

It helps build stronger communities by: 99 Empowering people from across the community to develop local solutions, and integrate them into community structures.

99 Drawing on the wisdom of the community, accommodating the community’s voice and respecting unique neighbourhood design and community culture.

99 Developing local leadership capacity.

Neighbourhood and Community Resource Centres are uniquely placed to develop, implement and sustain local solutions to local problems.

These Centres are embedded in their communities, bringing with them a wealth of local knowledge, connections, and support. Significantly, they are locally managed, their management committees or board being drawn from Centre user groups and local community members.

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volunteering opportunities Around 2,000 West Australians contribute an average total of 30 hours of volunteer work per centre each week.

This equates to $6.5

million of labour over a year

Volunteering benefits the community as well as the individual 99 Volunteering activities raise the awareness of volunteers regarding social issues and can mobilise community members for community building actions.

99 Volunteering is found to be closely correlated with high levels of civic engagement.

99 It plays an important role in strengthening social capital and has been shown to lead to improved health outcomes as well as being an identified pathway into paid employment.

Neighbourhood and Community Resource Centres provide a focal point for volunteering There is an average of seven members serving on each centre’s Management Committee or Board. This equates to over 1,200 community members who actively serve on a centre volunteer Management Committee across Western Australia. On average, each Committee member will spend up to five hours per month on committee business. These management committee roles are not only personally satisfying, but provide a valuable skill set: financial acumen, strategic thinking, marketing and promotion, human resources and a knowledge of current relevant legislation.

In addition to management committee positions, centres offer a myriad of opportunities for those willing to take up the gauntlet: anything from gardening and cleaning, meet and greet, assistance with playgroups, driving a bus, setting up the weekly Toy Library... Centres operate on shoe-string budgets so extra sets of hands (and minds) are always welcome!

Volunteers add some sizzle to the Sausage Sizzle at The Spiers Centre

From morning tea to heart of the community In a letter to the Minister for Communities, a long-time user of the Roleystone Neighbourhood and Family Centre describes how local women, driven by determination and local need, built a thriving place of community Dear Minister I am hoping you read my letter which tells a tale of a group of women who came together to build something which became the quiet pulse of our community.

Over thirty years ago, a local woman felt isolated. She was a South African migrant who wanted to meet other South African women to reduced her homesickness. She advertised in the local newspaper that she would be running a morning tea in her place at a certain time and people would be welcome. Only one South African woman turned up, but more than a dozen other women came looking for friendship, a relief from loneliness and wanting a sense of community. Some were escaping domestic violence, others were migrants and newcomers, many had no support. Whatever the reason, she had tapped into a well which continues to flow.

The group became Meet your Neighbour and moved into the Old Schoolhouse, the ex headmaster’s weatherboard house on the school grounds. It housed the clothing pool in one bedroom, a changing room, a toy library in another bedroom and a tiny kitchen and living room which became the meeting place for everything else. The group met every Thursday and as the work spread it grew larger and larger. Someone donated outside play equipment, we re-carpeted the rooms with donated floor covering, we rostered on for childcare in the backyard and we all provided morning tea. The school house became The Neighbourhood House.

Art and other creative endeavours have been a long-time staple at the Roleystone Neighbourhood Family Centre

We came from all walks of life. It was a time of NOW, New Opportunities for Women. We wanted more so we turned our thoughts to courses, things we could offer from our pool of resourceful women. There were classes run in pottery, patchwork, painting, calligraphy, writing, cooking, understanding weather maps, languages, reading your colours, training in the new computers entering our lives and so on.

I

am so proud of this Family Centre, as it welcomes newcomers and serves our community.

From its rooms, women and men meet for so many purposes: to learn crafts, for child care, to hear lectures, to sing, to participate in local community groups doing local community work, to exercise.

The local book club crammed into the living room at night. Authors met to share their work on the verandah. A recipe book was developed with new environmentally friendly attitudes and tips. The craft group met to make things for the annual School’s Fair. We ran child care for those women taking the classes. Everything was run on a voluntary basis.

The old building was groaning under pressure so we formed a committee as you do, to apply for a Lotteries grant to contract a purpose built premises.

We had found and mined the need, now we needed to shore it up.

As a result of a lot of hard work and some very talented women, the local Family Centre came into being. It was to become the quietly beating heart of our suburb and community. From its rooms women and men meet for so many purposes: to learn crafts, for childcare, to hear lectures, to sing, to participate in local community groups doing local community work, to exercise. Health professionals have accommodation for AA and the Child Health Nurse.

I am so proud of this Family Centre, as it welcomes newcomers and serves our community.

The loss of the centre would be a loss of the community’s essence and be a devastating blow to this suburb, which is more like a country town where links engender a can-do attitude, where people gather to lend a hand in good times and in bad.

Our Centre should be allowed to continue to operate under its current management and funding with the very worrying fear that once again corporatisation will kill off what locals built from their hearts.

Virginia O’Keefe Continual user Roleystone Neighbourhood and Family Centre

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Safe, secure and partly shaded outdoor play areas, such as the one at Brockman House in Beechboro, are a feature of many neighbourhood centres. They are well utilised and valuable community assets.

Linkwest is the Peak Body for Neighbourhood and Community Resource Centres in Western Australia Printed: January 2018

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