Tasmanian Association of Community Houses

Sunday May 5th marked the start of Neighbourhood House Week for 2013 in Tasmania with, the launch of our State-wide partnership with the North Melbourne Football Club, the Kangaroos.

 The partnership was celebrated at the Risdon Vale Oval from 9.30am this Sunday the 5^th of May with the Premier Lara Giddings, Kangaroos Chief Operating Officer Cam Vale, and TACH representatives launching the partnership.  There were also  simultaneous events  at Clarendon Vale Primary Oval and Herdsman Cove Primary Oval.  Football players from the Kangaroos and local football clubs hosted  footy coaching clinics for children.  Five Neighbourhood Houses, Risdon Vale Neighbourhood Centre, Clarendon Vale Neighbourhood Centre, Rokeby Neighbourhood Centre, Bridgewater Community Centre and Gagebrook Community Centre worked with the North Melbourne Football Club to make these clinics a great success. 

Excitingly the TACH North Melbourne partnership also links houses and centres, anywhere in the state, with the teaching and learning facilities currently operated out of the Kangaroos base in Arden St North Melbourne through their Huddle program. Find out more

Neighbourhood Houses Week Awards Nominations are open today! (nominations close 4pm, Friday 5th April 2013.)

Last year’s Awards were a great success and it was fantastic to show off the wonderful work that you all do every day!

For more information click here

Neighbourhood House Week will be celebrated from the 6th to the 10th May 2013.

Neighbourhood House Awards will be held in Launceston  on 8th May  - nominations for Building Community Awards due Friday 5th April.  For more information click here

Community Spirit Challenge – sew an item that reflects the spirit of your community entries due Wed 1st May

TACH Annual Conference in Hobart from 25th to 27th September

The second and last TACH Emergency Relief funding round is now open.

These funds were provided through DPAC – Social Inclusion Unit to assist Houses to assist in a small way to meet some of the rising Emergency Relief requests so many Houses are facing.  The funds are only able to be used for direct provision of Emergency Assistance, such as food hampers, transport vouchers etc. (see attached guidelines)

Just like last time Houses are invited to apply for either $0-$300 or $301-$600 by completing the attached ‘Funding Request Form’ and indicating what ER provision you will be using the funding for.  We also ask you to indicate what organisations, if any,  you will be partnering with as it is a requirement of what we have to report back to DPAC.

Once all applications have been received TACH will distribute the highest possible amount under each category to expend the remaining  $12, 000 of the original $20, 000.

Please note: to be eligible to apply for funding again, we must have received your report from the last funding round.  A copy of the report format is attached, and as the form indicates there is an optional section so  if you have any demographic data on recipients it will help us collate and advocate around ER needs.

 Applications close Friday 8^th March. 

 For Further information please contact the TACH office on 6228 6515 or email tach@tach.asn.au 

Click here to access the application form

Click here to view the TACH December 2012 Newsletter (PDF)

MEDIA RELEASE

10^th December 2012

Much Needed Infrastructure Boost to Neighbourhood Houses

 Neighbourhood Houses today received a welcome surprise from Premier Lara Giddings with the announcement of a $3 million fund for Community Infrastructure which includes $2 million for renovations and upgrades to Tasmania’s network of Community and Neighbourhood houses across the State. 

 As part of the announcement, Premier Lara Giddings said “The Government will work with the Tasmanian Association of Community Houses to determine the projects with the highest priority so work can commence as soon as possible.”

 This funding announcement comes as a very welcome surprise to the 34 Neighbourhood and Community Houses across Tasmania. Many Neighbourhood House buildings are up to 30 years old, not configured for the demands now made upon them, sometimes sub-standard for modern regulations, and frequently in need of significant maintenance.  As the work of Houses has expanded and the community has become more and more engaged, many of these buildings are in need of substantial upgrading or expansion to adequately meet the needs of their community. Neighbourhood Houses are recognised as an important step in re-engaging people in their community and setting them on a pathway to improved circumstances.  

Simon Paul, TACH President and Coordinator of the Clarendon Vale Neighbourhood Centre today said “In difficult times, this one off injection of funding will make a huge difference to the socially isolated and disadvantaged communities the Neighbourhood Houses are located in. We have long been hearing from the Houses that infrastructure funding is needed for them to be able to continue to offer adequate services to the community, and we now look forward to working with the Government to get work started as soon as possible in those high priority areas.”

 “A one-off injection of funds was listed as the number one priority in the Tasmanian Association of Community Houses’ recent submission to the 2012 State Budget, and we believe this economic stimulus is a great win – a win for local communities, the State economy, and the State government.”

 The Tasmanian Association of Community Houses (TACH) is the peak body for the 34 Community and Neighbourhood Houses and Centres across Tasmania. 

 Neighbourhood Houses work at the grass roots of community development and are often the first point of call for vulnerable community members and sometimes, the only place they feel comfortable to go in a crisis. This is because Neighbourhood Houses are run by volunteers and workers from the local community.  We work at bringing local people together to work on making our communities a better place

EVERYDAY LITERACY FOR LOCAL COMMUNITIES

Funding Round 6 opened on 8 October 2012 and closed on 5 November 2012.  For all the details, visit our Everyday Literacy page.

When: Wednesday 26th to Friday 28th September 2012

Where: Ulverstone (Senior Citizens Centre and Ulverstone Civic Centre)

Join the conversation…..

This year our conference theme is Sustainability, and we will ask some important questions.

How do we make our organisations sustainable?

How do we make our paid and volunteer workforce sustainable?

And, most importantly, how do we make our communities sustainable?

Covering a broad range of topics from Community Development to Communications to Managing Conflict in an Organisation  to Mindfulness. The 2012 TACH Conference will have something for everyone.  Register Now!! Follow the below links to view the complete Conference Program, Registration Form, Accommodation Guide and House Idol Flyer.  

2012 TACH Conference Program

Registration Form

Accommodation Guide

House Idol Flyer

Expo and Market

Each year at Conference, TACH invites other partner organisations to hold a stall at the Expo, which takes part during an extended Lunch break on the Thursday of Conference. The Expo offers our delegates the chance to gain an understanding of the work of other organisations and assists to build relationships that could potentially benefit our communities. In the past, the Expo has marked the beginning of a number of joint programs. This is a great opportunity for organisations to promote and inform about their services and to meet people from Neighbourhood and Community Houses throughout the State, as well as other organisations.

If you Organisation would like to be part of the Expo, please contact TACH on 62286515 or tach@tach.asn.au for more information. A registration form can be downloaded by following the below link.

Expo Registration Form

Micro Grants of $500 are now available for small literacy projects or literacy support training aimed at improving adult and family literacy in your community.

Every year, any time in the first six to eight months of the year, each House will be able to apply for one Micro Grant.  After that, if not all Houses apply, remaining funds will be made available on a first come first served basis.  In 2012, with less than six months of the year remaining, the Micro Grants will be opened up to repeat applications in November.  In a full calendar year, repeat applications may be accepted around August or September.

To apply, go to the Everyday Literacy project page and scroll down.

The TACH Emergency Relief  funding round is now open.

Please see the below links to access the Funding Guidelines and Funding Request Form.

To apply, please read through the Funding Guidelines and then complete the simple Funding Request Form attached. As it is a very small amount of funding we do not require much information.

Please note: This funding is for TACH member organisations only.

Please contact TACH if you require any further information.

ER Funding Guidelines

Funding Request Form

Applications close Wednesday 13^th June.