Who we are
Neighbourhood Houses Barwon is an independent incorporated association. We are governed by a Committee of Governance made up of NHBarwon members. You can find information about our Committee of Governance here.
We are one of 16 Neighbourhood House Networks across Victoria.
Vision
Community development principles and practice delivered with a sense of unity and a collective voice.
Mission
Enabling the delivery of quality community development through high level representation, advice, guidance and support.
Members
There are 25 Neighbourhood Houses in the Barwon Region, you can find them here.
The local government areas covered by Neighbourhood Houses Barwon are:
- Borough of Queenscliffe (1 Centre)
- City of Greater Geelong (15 Centres)
- Colac Otway Shire (4 Centres)
- Surf Coast Shire (5 Centres)
Funding
NHBarwon receives funding from the following sources:
- Department of Health and Human Services through the Neighbourhood House Coordination Program
- City of Greater Geelong, Colac Otway Shire and Surf Coast Shire
- Membership fees
- Occasional grants for projects and community development activities.
NHBarwon has Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status via a public fund. We can accept tax deductible donations. Contact us to find out more.
History
A meeting of the Barwon Community Education Network and Barwon Neighbourhood House Network, held in Camperdown on 3 August 1989, amalgamated into a new entity called The Network of Neighbourhood Houses and Community Educators. From this combined group the “ The Barwon Network of Neighbourhood Centres “ was formed.
From this meeting of 18 Houses, a Constitution was also developed and The Barwon Network became an Incorporated Body on 7th November, 1990. In 1995, the name was changed to the Barwon Network of Neighbourhood Centres Inc.
Just as the Neighbourhood House movement has since grown, so has the Network. We now have 24 Houses in the region. The Constitution was updated in 2003 and a number of needs analyses have been conducted to ensure the Network remains responsive to the needs and aspirations of its members. The purpose of the Network remains “To provide a collective voice and a sense of unity”
The Barwon Network of Neighbourhood Centres Inc (BNCC) is an incorporated association which draws its membership from the neighbourhood houses and community centres located in the Barwon Region. Its members are situated in the local government areas of the City of Greater Geelong, Borough of Queenscliffe, Surf Coast Shire and Colac Otway Shire.
The Network is funded through the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) under the Neighbourhood House Co-Ordination Program (NHCP) and also seeks grants and project funding from other sources for additional projects and collaborative work.
Neighbourhood House Networks are the central link within the Neighbourhood Houses and Learning Centres sector structure; their practice is underpinned by the sector principles and is both facilitative and developmental and relies on strong inclusive relationships with its member houses and with the wider local and regional communities.