ABOUT US

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St Arnaud Neighbourhood House Incorporated is a public institution which has the charitable purpose of advancing social and public wellbeing by providing a physical location that supports people to undertake activities and participate on projects in the company of others, to prevent social isolation and promote mental health.

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NEIGHBOURHOOD HOUSE

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The St Arnaud Neighbourhood House receives ongoing funding from the Department of Families Fairness and Housing to operate a socially-inclusive Neighbourhood House that builds resilience in the community.

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The Neighbourhood House is open 27 hours per week and offers a variety of programs to the St Arnaud community. These programs include the following:

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• Craft activites

• Cooking classes

• Disability specific programs such as skills for life

• Volunteer program (currently have 7 active volunteers)

• Job-ready 13 week program for people with disabilities

• School integration program

• Social inclusion BBQs

• Meals on Wheels delivery

• First Aid courses

• Fire Safety presentations by the Country Fire Authority (CFA)

• Consumer Affairs presentations

• Partnership with SCAN to develop a 2-month community calendar

• Meet-and-greet function to promote the Neighbourhood House and Men's Shed

 

The Neighbourhood House also functions as a drop-in location. If you need to talk to someone, or you wish to find out about programs and services that can assist you, or you are feeling lonely, please visit us for a chat!

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Over the last twelve months, the Neighbourhood House has had 2800 people participate in the scheduled programs.

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The Neighbourhood House develops a calendar of programs each school term and this is distributed throughout the community.

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MEN'S SHED

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The St Arnaud Men's Shed is under the auspices of the St Arnaud Neighbourhood House.

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The Department of Health and Human Services funded the building of the Men's Shed, however there is no ongoing funding to cover operational costs. The Men's Shed is expected to source their own income to cover operational costs.

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There is a formal agreement between the St Arnaud Neighbourhood House and the St Arnaud Men's Shed.

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In the last twelve months, the Men's Shed has had approximately 1500 men visit the shed. This is due to the central location and accessibility of the shed.

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The Men's Shed provides a safe environment for men to socialise, to continue to have a sense of purpose once they have retired or lost their life partners and prevents mental health issues.

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The Men's Shed is driven by men in the local community and they participate in the following activites:

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• Toy making

• Bags of kindling wood

• Signage for the local show and other community events

• Community lunches

• Meals on Wheels delivery

• Repair and build furniture

• Other odd jobs that are requested

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LEARN LOCAL

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The St Arnaud Nighbourhood House receives funding from Adult, Commuity and Further Education (ACFE) to provide pre-accredited Learn Local courses to the community.

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Trainers are employed from the local community to deliver this training. These include:

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• Skills for life

• Introduction to the internet

• Microsoft Office tour

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SOCIAL COURSES

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The St Arnaud Nighbourhood House also runs social courses using trainers employed from the local community. Contact the neighbourhood House for more information.

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• Social Cooking

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ECONOMIC PARTICIPATION

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The Neighbourhood House works in partnership with Axis Employment Services to provide paid job placement for people who have a disability.