How neighbourhood and community houses are at the heart of resilience

Neighbourhood and Community House (NHCH) and Centre Week celebrates the incredible work happening in local communities across Australia. Every week, more than 400,000 people walk through the doors of an NCHC to access support, connection, and opportunity.

In recognition of this year’s theme, Your Place to Connect, AIDR shines a spotlight on the more than 1,000 NCHCs operating across Australia. These hubs are where people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds come together to share experiences, learn new skills, volunteer, and simply get to know one another. They are, at their core, places built on connection.

A group of individuals in colorful sweaters are standing in a circle, each reaching in to place their hand on top of the others in a gesture of unity.

Image: Hannah Busing/Unsplash

At AIDR, we underscore the vital role local connection plays in building disaster resilient communities, and we acknowledge that strong neighbourhood relationships support communities before, during and after disasters.

Before disasters, neighbourhood connection supports preparedness by enabling people to understand local risks, share information in accessible ways, and build confidence to act. Trusted local spaces help turn preparedness information into action and reach people who may otherwise be isolated from formal channels.

During disasters, neighbours are often the first source of help. Strong local connections support information-sharing, informal welfare checks, and practical assistance, complementing formal emergency response efforts.

After disasters, NCHCs play a critical role in recovery. They provide spaces for reconnection, access to support services and opportunities for communities to come together, share information, and navigate recovery.

At AIDR, we recognise that resilient communities are connected communities. This Neighbourhood and Community House and Centre Week, we celebrate the people, places and partnerships that make connection possible – before, during, and after disasters.

The April 2024 edition of the Australian Journal of Emergency Management explores this role in depth. The report, ‘The role of community service organisations in disaster resilience: the Hub project’, examines how community hubs, like the Blackheath Area Neighbourhood Centre in Blackheath, NSW are central to resilience planning.

AIDR's Evacuation Planning Handbook also emphasises the value of NCHCs as potential evacuation centres and recognises their trusted status in the communities they serve.

Finally, research on how shared responsibility is perceived by community sector organisations highlights how neighbourhood centres sit at the intersection of grassroots action and formal emergency management, and is a partnership that makes communities more resilient.