By Matthew Sims
The Emerald Community House Incorporated (ECH Inc) committee has defended its role as a not-for-profit and independently managed charity business and has vowed to continue as a self-funded enterprise, in response to the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing’s (DFFH) announcement it would not be renewing its current service agreement contract when its contract expires on Sunday 30 June.
In a statement published on Friday 26 April, Cardinia Council announced it was working with DFFH to transition to a new neighbourhood house service in Emerald, with current arrangements allowing ECH Inc to operate from their current site until Tuesday 31 December.
However, the ECH committee released a statement on Monday 29 April, which said that the reports of ECH’s end were “grossly exaggerated” by the council and DFFH.
According to the statement, ECH Inc received no word of the news until Cardinia Ranges Ward councillor made an announcement at an Emerald Township Committee meeting on Wednesday 24 April.
“ECH will demonstrate its resilience strategy and will continue to operate as a self-funded enterprise in support of the community until DFFH restores its funding,” the ECH Inc committee said.
“We won’t be bullied by council.”
Established in 1977, ECH was one of the first houses in Victoria to be part of the broader Neighbourhood House movement involved in community development and is the oldest neighbourhood house in Cardinia and one of the original centres which emerged in the Dandenongs in the 1970s led by women.
It has aimed to reduce social isolation, vulnerability, distress, disadvantage, hardship or displacement due to extreme events, offering a number of services including social connection, volunteer contributions, emergency relief, family violence support, adult community education, early childhood education and care, social enterprise goods and services, food and groceries, free computer/internet usage and tax assistance.
In the most recently ECH Inc annual report, it detailed that ECH Inc had provided more than $2.7 million in social impact value based on the Neighbourhood House Victoria annual survey.
A DFFH spokesperson said a new provider for a neighbourhood house service in the Emerald area was expected to be operational by early next year.
“An Expression of Interest process will be run for a neighbourhood house service provider in the Emerald area, following community consultation,” the spokesperson said.
“The department is working closely with Cardinia Shire Council to ensure services continue to be delivered to the community.”
According to DFFH, concerns have been raised with the department about ECH Inc.
According to the ECH Inc committee, women in the community would be impacted by the announcement, with survivors of family violence continued to rely on community-based licensed childcare programs and discreet community support like the services ECH provides.
Gender and Disaster Australia executive director Dr Debra Parkinson said the announcement “makes no sense”.
“Emerald Community House has been a leader in engaging the community in prevention and response to disasters,” she said.
“The Federal Government regularly seeks advice from ECH manager Mary Farrow.
“Equally, ECH has worked to empower women in the time-honoured way of the neighbourhood sector.
“It is harmful to even consider cutting funding right now at the height of women’s protests against gender based violence.”
Cardinia Council liveable communities general manager Lili Rosic said the council would work with DFFH and the community to gauge what they would need from a new service provider.
“Council will support the transition by undertaking community consultation to ascertain what services the community would like offered,” she said.
“It’s important that we have a good understanding of what the community needs from their Neighbourhood House service provider.
“Following the community consultation, we are keen to work with DFFH as they undertake an expression of interest process to identify a new provider to apply to be part of the State Government’s Neighbourhood House Coordination Program (NHCP) to serve the Emerald community.”
Ms Rosic said the council was grateful to the Emerald Community House for their years of service to the community.
“We once again express our appreciation to the Emerald Community House for the many programs and services it has provided over the years that have benefited the community,” she said.
The ECH committee has said it would be seeking candidates in the upcoming elections in October to show “appropriate advocacy for ECH” as per the council’s Neighbourhood House Policy.
The ECH committee said ECH was compliant with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) and Consumer Affairs Victoria (CAV), was independently audited annually by an external auditor in accordance with Australian Auditing Standards and had exceeded the audit requirements for neighbourhood houses of this size.
