Making Waves

Every year in the second week of May, Neighbourhood House Week shines a spotlight on the work of more than 1,000 Neighbourhood Houses like Clunes nationally. Neighbourhood Houses are essentially community development organisations, positioned and structured to respond to the needs of all people and place. It’s a seemingly simple value proposition, but the theory that goes behind operating a Neighbourhood House is surprisingly nuanced. Why? Because it’s not just what a Neighbourhood House delivers that is important, but also how it operates. 

How Houses Work? 

Back in the 1970’s many Houses started as training organisations, delivering adult education and hiring out rooms to local groups keen to deliver activities. But this isn’t an approach that worked for Clunes. Up until recent years we didn’t have facilities to share with others, and the needs of our community were diverse, unlikely to appeal to fee-based training offerings. In 2015, Clunes Neighbourhood House decided we needed to focus on our Neighbourhood first, knowing that if we helped strengthen our neighbourhood, we’d ultimately end up being a stronger house.

Inside and Out

“I joined Neighbourhood House in 2022,” said Neil Newitt, President, CNH Committee. “But prior to that I’d worked, via my role as a past Councillor, with CNH closely as they built relationships with individuals and groups across our community. They were always clear about their vision – to see a community able to care for all people and place.”

“This focus on all was what appealed to me,” elaborated Neil, “Giving a leg up when that was what was needed, filling critical gaps if they existed, sharing spaces and other resources, and ultimately doing it in a way that has added to our town’s capacity to keep doing what we do.”

“Few sectors do this well but as I’ve got to know the Neighbourhood House network I’m understanding that this is the beauty of how they operate.”

In Clunes, how the house operates involves two approaches; looking at our practices, and building relationships with others.

Our Practices

Clunes Neighbourhood House started with a clear strategic purpose and values that underpin what we do. “But we also recognise that we are all human and in an environment that constantly changes,” said Lana de Kort, Manager at CNH, “This means people can feel vulnerable and that it’s hard to ensure the sustainability of activities or projects. So the way we work with this, and the culture we try to create is based on a distributed leadership model (Congruence) by Nadler & Tushman. It means we share the load and resources at all levels, feeding it back into the ‘system’ to strengthen the whole.”

“Examples of this include our Social Enterprise, BOOM. We take 25% commission from all activities and products sold through there, and we reinvest it into community programming,” Lana elaborated, “We’ve been doing this now since 2021.”  

“It means we aren’t putting all our eggs in one basket, allowing us to be more responsive and adaptable to changes around us.  It also encourages others to think in a similiar way.”

“Last year this generated $55,174 for suppliers or groups selling products or services; while it raised $13,793 that we could reinvest in community development.  Recently we’ve used that to extend our offerings for people living with chronic conditions, as well as meet the increased demand for food security. While several years ago we invested all of our commission underwriting Attitude for the first two years of its operation.”

“On our website, in our policies and procedures, through to our volunteer manual, we talk about the way we work and the culture needed to walk together towards this vision,” elaborated Neil. “We are deliberately transparent, so individuals and groups understand how we do things, letting them see themselves within that, and if that works for them. Whether it’s our community-led programming approach which insures and provides free facilities for many individual led activities in this town, auspicing informal groups like the Men’s Shed or operating a social enterprise, our code of conduct and polices like our shared practices policy are practical examples of the way we work together respectfully.”

The 2025 theme “Ripples of Change” is a tribute to the impact that is possible through the small, considered actions of many in making a neighbourhood feel like home. 

Here are just a few of the ripples our approach has made possible in the last 12 months: 

• 320 people linked to health services, NDIS, MyAgedCare and other services 

• 204 people helped with IT needs

• More than 400 meals/lunches made a month 

• 61 food relief hampers

• Free venues and insurance for 13 individuals/informal groups who run regular activities of social benefit in Clunes

• $55,174 in revenue to suppliers or groups via BOOM in 2024