Enabling Communities Project

The Enabling Communities: From the heart of the community project is supported by Victorian Government bushfire funding and covers the fire-affected communities of Corryong, Tallangatta, Mt Beauty, Myrtleford, King Valley and Mansfield.

Using the principles of co-design, the project aims to:

• Empower each community to work with their Neighbourhood House to design and deliver local initiatives that will benefit recovery and resilience

• Build the capacity of participating Neighbourhood Houses to respond more effectively to emergencies by enacting recovery planning that will link to broader emergency plans within their LGA

• Support Neighbourhood Houses to be included in future emergency planning.

MACE as a Neighbourhood House, has a unique and important role in our local community, and is working with service providers and Mansfield community members to co-design mental health and well-being projects that will meet identified needs.

As a result of this project, MACE is recognised by emergency services and included in emergency planning in our Shire. MACE involvement will bridge gaps and facilitate connections through the project, by mobilising existing local knowledge, capacity and relationships to support innovative, locally relevant recovery initiatives and to improve future disaster resilience. Strengthening local collaborations partially addresses the difficulty external services face when coming into a community during and after an emergency to connect effectively and support the community to lead their own recovery. Watch this space for updates relating to local efforts.