Community Wellbeing and Resilience Program
Winner of the Resilient Australia Mental Health and Wellbeing Award for NSW, the Community Wellbeing and Resilience (CWR) program funds community-led, place-based initiatives that support communities to recover from the health and wellbeing impacts of disasters and build their capacity to face future compounding challenges.
2024 Program
Recognising the critical link between community resilience and the social service sector, Healthy North Coast (HNC) continues to invest in this innovative program to strengthen and empower communities.
A total of $1 million in funding has been awarded in the 2024 CWR Program, through the Primary Health Network Program – an initiative of the Australian Government.
In 2024, following the successful trial of a participatory grantmaking assessment process, three community organisations – Queer Family, Plan C and The Returning will receive an equal share of $1 million to deliver programs over the next two years to help impacted North Coast communities.
Healthy North Coast’s Community Wellbeing and Resilience program has been recognised for its efforts in building community health and wellbeing resilience in the face of increasing climate disasters, winning the Resilient Australia Mental Health and Wellbeing Award for NSW.
Objectives
Lean Into Connections
Improve community health and wellbeing through social connection and building social capital.
Nurture Partnerships
Strengthen the capacity of volunteer and community organisations to collaboratively respond to a changing climate by building partnerships and linkages between institutions, organisations or groups.
Support Resilience
Support resilience by ensuring communities are equipped with the knowledge, skills and resources to adapt to the health impacts of a changing climate.
Leverage Local Knowledge
Support resilience by ensuring communities are equipped with the knowledge, skills and resources to adapt to the health impacts of a changing climate.
Foster Cohesion
Build social capital through social cohesion, trust and belonging.
Place-Based Solutions
Offer practical, place-based solutions that address community health and wellbeing needs.
2024 Grant Recipients
A community-based, peer-led organisation in Mullumbimby that was formed in 2019, Queer Family addresses critical need for support systems for the LGBTQIA+ community.
Their Queer Wellbeing Program provides social connection opportunities for the LGBTQIA+ community to support resilience and wellbeing.
A not-for-profit charity founded in 2019, Plan C's mission is to build community resilience and regeneration through education, research, mentoring, partnerships and support programs.
Through cross-sector collaboration, more than 240 local leaders impacted by disasters will be trained, equipped, and mentored to become a network of volunteer Community Carers and Responders (CCRs).
Focussing on Indigenous culture and healing, The Returning delivers programs for women, First Nations mothers and babies, Indigenous youth, and camps for men, women, jarjums and Elders.
Their Wellbeing and Resilience, Our Way Program is an Aboriginal designed and led initiative to increase the health and resilience of Indigenous individuals and communities on Bundjalung Country and surrounds (Northern NSW).
The Approach
The Region
The North Coast of NSW is an identified disaster ‘hotspot’ in Australia.5,6,7,8
The World Health Organisation has identified climate change as the single greatest threat to human health. In the last few years alone, the North Coast has experienced unprecedented bushfires and catastrophic floods, alongside the global pandemic. These events have had a significant impact on the health and wellbeing of our communities
We know our region will experience more frequent and severe disasters in the future. Without action, these events will continue to impact our populations health and wellbeing. To reduce future impacts, we need creative, coordinated, and sustainable action.
Building community resilience is key to improving health and wellbeing outcomes after natural disasters and in a changing climate.
Values
Community-led
The program supports initiatives that demonstrate local leadership and anticipate and respond to local needs. Communities take an active role in enhancing capacity to recover from the health and wellbeing impacts of natural disasters and adapt to future challenges.
Place-based
The program supports initiatives that; target the specific circumstances of a place, value local knowledge, are informed by local evidence and data, and engage community members as active participants in development, implementation, and evaluation.
Strengths-based
The program builds on the strengths within communities to support and mobilise the skills, knowledge, passion and experiences of individuals, groups, families, and organisations.
Collaborative
The program focuses on building partnerships, strengthening community cohesion, fostering collaboration, linkages, and developing innovative ways of working together to solve shared local problems.
Sustainable
The program focuses on long-term sustainability so that communities are equipped to meet challenges into the future.
Health-focused
The program focuses on meeting local health and wellbeing needs, preventing ill-health, building resilience, and protecting human health and wellbeing from the impacts of a changing climate.
Impact Stories
Stories of Impact From our Partners
***Coming soon***
Stories of Impact from Healthy North Coast
Design & Insight
Design
Using feedback from the sector, Healthy North Coast trialled Participatory Grantmaking (PGM) as part of the 2024 grant assessment process by involving the shortlisted organisations in the decision-making process.
Healthy North Coast will continue to evaluate to evaluate the Community Wellbeing & Resilience Program through our commitment to supporting evidence-based programs. We will continue working closely with the community sector on the development and delivery of programs. In February 2024 we offered two online consultation sessions. To learn more about what we heard through the consultation process, please read the outcomes report below.
Insights
Previous grants & recipients
Through four years of investment, we have noted benefits such as a more connected, skilled and more resilient sector.
Since 2022 the Community Wellbeing and Resilience Program has awarded 26 grants, with a total value of $6.3 million through funding provided by the Australian Government Department of Health and NSW Government Ministry of Health.
Healthy North Coast’s Community Wellbeing and Resilience program has been recognised for its efforts in building community health and wellbeing resilience in the face of increasing climate disasters, winning the Resilient Australia Mental Health and Wellbeing Award for NSW.
Grants
2022 – 2024 | Flood Recovery Grants
In 2022, the program received additional funding from the NSW Government through its Northern NSW Mental Wellbeing Flood Recovery package North Coast. Thirteen initiatives were funded, across seven Local Government Areas that were heavily impacted by the catastrophic 2022 floods. A total of $3.3 million was commissioned, and initiatives focused on one or more of the following:
- Social and community connection
- Cultural connection
- Trauma-based education
- Social and emotional wellbeing
2021 – 2023 | Bushfire Recovery Grants
The first stage of the Community Wellbeing and Resilience Program was supported by $2 million funding from the Australian Government Department of Health through its Supporting Communities in Bushfire Recovery package 2021–2023. Ten local initiatives were funded and focused on more or of the following:
- Social and community connection
- Preparedness and response capability
- Partnerships and coordination
- Environmental connection
- Cultural connection
We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land we live and work, the Bundjalung, Arakwal, Yaegl, Gumbaynggirr, Githabul, Dunghutti and Birpai Nations, and their continuing connection to land, sea and community. We pay our respects to elders past, present and future.
