MACE Stands with Neighbourhood Houses Victoria to ‘Keep Our Doors Open’

maceincorporated
4 days ago
2 min read

MACE has joined Neighbourhood Houses Victoria’s statewide Keep Our Doors Open campaign, calling on the Victorian Government to secure the future of Neighbourhood Houses through sustainable, long-term funding.

Neighbourhood Houses are vital to the health and strength of Victorian communities — providing welcoming, inclusive spaces where people can connect, learn, and contribute. Each week, more than 185,000 Victorians access a Neighbourhood House for everything from adult learning and digital literacy to food relief, volunteering, and social support.

At a local level, MACE delivers a diverse range of community programs, including adult education, wellbeing and social connection activities, youth engagement, and practical sustainability initiatives such as the Mansfield Tool Library and Repair Café.

“Neighbourhood Houses like MACE are the glue that holds our communities together,” said Kylie Richards, CEO of MACE. “We see firsthand the difference that access, connection, and opportunity make in people’s lives — but we can only continue this work with adequate and secure funding.”

Neighbourhood Houses Victoria is calling for:

A 25% increase in core funding under the Neighbourhood House Coordination Program (NHCP);
Funding for 25 currently unfunded houses across the state; and
A growth fund to open five new Neighbourhood Houses each year in areas of growing need.

MACE strongly supports these recommendations and has joined with local partners to advocate to the Minister for Carers and Volunteers, the Hon. Ros Spence MP, for a funding model that reflects the real cost of service delivery and the extraordinary social return on investment Neighbourhood Houses provide.

“For every dollar invested, Neighbourhood Houses deliver more than twenty dollars’ worth of social and economic value,” Ms Richards said. “That’s a return we should all be proud to support.”

To learn more about the Keep Our Doors Open campaign, visit www.nhvic.org.au/keepourdoorsopen.