2 minute read
Arncliffe community hub
Evolve Housing’s Arncliffe Community Hub is an innovative community engagement project designed to support a newly established social housing community.
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The Arncliffe social housing block is home to more than 140 social housing residents who were given housing to keep them safe and off the streets during the pandemic. These tenants have complex needs and many of them were previously homeless or at risk of homelessness. Residents come from a diverse range of backgrounds and family situations.
The unique circumstances of these residents required extra resources on top of our existing Support team. We successfully applied for a two-year grant from the Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation to help fund the hub. The grant also helped us create the role of the Arncliffe Community Connections Coordinator, who works alongside a dedicated Housing Manager on-site to support tenants. The Housing Manager is available to provide intensive support to tenants and proactively deal with any concerns raised.
The Coordinator role works with the community to identify their priorities and then creates wraparound support services. Services available include a weekly Homework Hub for students with access to the internet and a printer, an Internet Access Hub, and a newsletter.
Evolve Housing also partnered with South Eastern Sydney Local Health District to provide drop-in sessions twice a week where residents can speak with qualified health professionals, learn more about health and wellbeing, and be referred on to other services if necessary. Other organisations who have offered drop in sessions include employment agency Max Solutions, family support service Better Connect Family Services, and the local police.
The Resident Engagement Team holds monthly Community Roadshow events, which involve staff holding an informal catch-up with free morning tea, giving neighbours the chance to chat. We have also held many fun events including a beach outing. These occasions provide a safe opportunity for residents to participate in social life and feel that they belong to a community, while also building trust with our staff.
In December 2020, we brightened up the estate by adding a community garden with the help of residents, Vegepod, and Community Greening. A resident also painted a colourful mural behind the garden. A workshop was held at the garden in February 2021, and residents set up a worm farm.
A Street Library has also been established for residents to borrow and share books, and the library itself has been hand painted by a resident. Former resident Warren, who lived at Arncliffe social housing estate for 9 months and is still engaged with the community, said that the garden and group activities helped him settle in and make friends. “All the community things were good so you’re not socially isolating yourself, you’re not in your unit by yourself … we’ve got the community garden out there, we put seats around it so people can sit around and have a chat to each other.
“There’s a certain amount of people who go to the Community Roadshows so you get to see them all the time, you do build up a friendship and get a bit of trust. You build up a friendship with the staff too because they’re not working against you, they’re working for you.”
