Neighbourhood change
The Brotherhood is committed to building capacities not only of individuals but also of communities. Our research explores and evaluates initiatives to enable community members to work together to improve services, employment and a sense of wellbeing in their neighbourhood.
Community hubs, services and centres
This research will examine models for targeted interventions which apply social inclusion principles in local communities. Several Brotherhood of St Laurence sites and program clusters have been identified as active or potential community activity and service delivery centres.
The initial report outlines how the Brotherhood's various initiatives began, the community context, their aims, planned outcomes and target populations.
Report
Brotherhood of St Laurence 2010, Community activity and service delivery models: an overview of Brotherhood centres (PDF file, 179 KB)
High Rise Public Housing Recycling Project (HaRP) evaluation
Contact: George Myconos gmyconos@nullbsl.org.au
The Brotherhood entered into an agreement with Sustainability Victoria to introduce a program for separating recyclable materials from household waste in the seven high-rise towers in the Collingwood and Atherton Gardens (Fitzroy) public housing estates. This evaluation assessed the outcomes of HaRP.
Report
George Myconos 2010, Recycling rising high: an evaluation of the High Rise Public Housing Recycling Project (PDF file, 1.3 MB)
Neighbourhood Justice Centre evaluation
Contact: Nadine Cameron ncameron@nullbsl.org.au
The Neighbourhood Justice Centre (NJC), established by the Victorian Government in 2007, incorporates a multijurisdictional court and serves victims, defendants, civil litigants and the local community in the City of Yarra. It handles both civil and criminal legal issues in an effort to reduce crime and reoffending rates, to enhance community perceptions of safety and confidence in the justice system, and to reinvigorate communities affected by individual and systemic disadvantage. Services at the centre include housing support as well as financial and drug and alcohol counselling, in recognition of the need to deal more effectively with complex cases involving problems such as homelessness, mental illness and substance abuse.
The Brotherhood of St Laurence contributed to an evaluation of the NJC undertaken by a team of researchers from the University of Melbourne, Flinders University, Brotherhood and PricewaterhouseCoopers. Reports were submitted to the Department of Justice, which in February 2010 published Evaluating the Neighbourhood Justice Centre in Yarra 2007–2009.
Doveton–Eumemmerring community survey
Contact: Tony Barnett tbarnett@nullbsl.org.au
The Victorian Government’s Neighbourhood Renewal program aims to reduce inequality, build more cohesive communities and make government services more responsive to local needs. The Brotherhood was contracted by the Department of Human Services to analyse the 2009 Community Survey data from Doveton–Eumemmerring, a neighbourhood in outer south-eastern Melbourne. This evaluation is the third wave since 2004. Comparison of data from 2004, 2007 and 2009 provides evidence of changing perceptions of residents about aspects of their neighbourhood. Reports were submitted in 2010.
Hastings Neighbourhood Renewal evaluation
Contact: Tony Barnett tbarnett@nullbsl.org.au
The Brotherhood was also engaged to analyse community survey responses related to the Victorian Government's Neighbourhood Renewal initiative in Hastings, a semi-urban location about 60 km south-east of Melbourne’s centre. Analysis of longitudinal data allowed comparison over time, producing a clearer indication of the effectiveness of the strategy. A report was submitted to the community in December 2010.