Neighbourhood Renewal/Neighbourhood Alliance

Neighbourhood Renewal (NR) is an approach to community capacity building that offers a better deal for disadvantaged neighbourhoods in Victoria. The strategy is an initiative of the Department of Human Services, and is part of the State Government's Growing Victoria Together agenda to build more cohesive communities and reduce inequalities.

The Victorian Government, local communities, businesses and service providers are working together to bridge the gap between the most disadvantaged neighbourhoods in Victoria and their surrounding communities. Vibrant places are being created where people want to live. To achieve this, the Neighbourhood Renewal Strategy aims to:

• Increase people's pride and participation in the community.
• Lift employment, training and education opportunities and expand local economies.
• Improve personal safety and reduce crime.
• Enhance housing and the physical environment.
• Promote health and wellbeing.
• Increase access to transport and other key services and improve government responsiveness.

In Latrobe Valley there are four areas within the townships of Moe, Morwell, Traralgon and Churchill that participate in the Neighbourhood Alliance program.   A great deal has been achieved in the Latrobe Valley with many residents stating Neighbourhood Renewal has not only improved infrastructure but has increased liveability in their local community. NR is now entering a transitional phase from state to local government. The new   Neighbourhood Alliance program as it is now known has many of the same goals as NR but is more focused on residents raising and then working on the issues that they feel are important to their local community, supported by a range of organisations.

The key to the success of the program is working directly with the Neighbourhood Renewal Residents Groups. The Resident Groups will continue to operate under their current conditions and terms of reference, except that the strength of the groups will be bolstered by including absentee landowners, business owners, service providers and surrounding residents that use facilities or services in the existing NR areas. In some resident groups, non residents of the known NR area cannot join the committee, but their input into important issues should be encouraged as this will result in integrated communities.

Through the resident groups Neighbourhood Alliance Project groups (NAPs) will be formed. These groups will lead the development and implementation of projects initiated by elected members of the resident group. Their focus will be projects as identified for action under the Neighbourhood Alliance Action Plans, and employees of government and non - government agencies will be specifically invited by resident groups to attend project meetings and provide expertise and support as required.   Each neighbourhood or resident group will have a number of projects running concurrently, while there may also be projects that cover one or more neighbourhood.

For more information on Neighbourhood Alliance please call Peter Steller, Neighbourhood Alliance - Project Worker on 5128 5426