Community Wellbeing and Resilience Program

The North Coast is highly exposed to natural disasters, including floods, bushfires and severe weather events. These events and other climate-related challenges can have long-term impacts on people’s mental health, wellbeing, safety, housing, social connection and access to support.

Recovery does not end when the immediate emergency response is over. Many communities continue to experience stress, grief, isolation, financial pressure, service disruption and reduced trust after disasters. These impacts can be greater for communities already facing disadvantage, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, rural communities, children and young people, older people and people with limited access to services.

The Community Wellbeing and Resilience Program responds to these needs by supporting local, community-led activities that strengthen recovery, connection, preparedness and resilience.

The program uses a community-led, place-based grants model. Healthy North Coast funds local organisations to design and deliver activities that respond to the needs, strengths and priorities of their communities.

This approach recognises that local organisations often hold trusted relationships, local knowledge and practical insight that can help communities recover and prepare for future challenges. Funded projects may support social connection, cultural connection, wellbeing, healing, preparedness, training, mentoring, outreach or local leadership.

Healthy North Coast works with funded organisations to support planning, delivery, reporting and evaluation. This helps build evidence about what works, share learning across the region and strengthen future investment in community wellbeing and resilience.

The program has been shaped by community feedback, sector consultation, funded partner insights and evaluation findings.

Healthy North Coast has listened to local organisations and stakeholders about what communities need after disasters, what helps recovery, and what makes funding more accessible and useful. In 2024, Healthy North Coast trialled a participatory grantmaking process, where shortlisted organisations took part in the assessment and decision-making process.

Funded projects are also expected to be shaped by local voices. This may include community consultation, lived experience, Aboriginal-led design and delivery, local partnerships, participant feedback and ongoing reflection during delivery.

This helps ensure projects are not one-size-fits-all, but are grounded in local relationships, community strengths and real needs.

The program funds a range of community-led activities that support wellbeing, recovery and resilience. These may include:

• wellbeing and resilience workshops
• social connection and community-building activities
• cultural healing and connection activities
• disaster preparedness and response training
• mentoring and leadership development
• community events and outreach
• support for young people, families, Elders and other priority groups
• local partnerships and referral pathways
• evaluation, reflection and sharing of program learnings

Activities are delivered by funded community organisations and are tailored to local community needs.

The Community Wellbeing and Resilience Program aims to support stronger, more connected and more resilient communities across the North Coast.

The program aims to:

• support community-led disaster recovery and preparedness
• improve mental health, wellbeing and social connection
• strengthen cultural connection and culturally safe support
• build local skills, confidence and leadership
• support communities to respond to future disasters and climate-related challenges
• strengthen the role of local organisations in community recovery and resilience
• build evidence about what works in community wellbeing and disaster recovery
• use learning from funded projects to inform future programs, partnerships and investment

The long-term goal is to reduce the health and wellbeing impacts of disasters by supporting communities before, during and after times of crisis.