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What is a Neighbourhood House

 

Neighbourhood Houses bring people together to connect, learn and contribute in their local community through social, educational, recreational and support activities, using a unique community development approach.

 

Community development is about enabling communities to identify and address their own needs. It starts from the assumption that communities have existing strengths and assets that make them part of the solution. Community development practice is about doing with, rather than doing for.

 

Neighbourhood Houses welcome people from all walks of life. This inclusive approach creates opportunities for individuals and groups to enrich their lives through connections they might not otherwise make.

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"If you've been to one Neighbourhood House, you've been to one Neighbourhood House."

 

There are around 400 Neighbourhood Houses across Victoria. As they respond to locally identified needs and priorities, the program at a Neighbourhood Houses in metropolitan Melbourne is likely to be quite different from what's on offer in remote, rural Victoria. This diversity is reflected in the different names they are known by, which include:

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  • Neighbourhood House

  • Community House

  • Learning Centre

  • Living and Learning Centre

  • Neighbourhood Centre

  • Community Centre

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