Economic and social impact study: community and neighbourhood centres sector: final report

Community centres are not-for-profit community organisations operating in local communities using prevention and early-intervention strategies to assist those who are disadvantaged and previously disengaged people through community development, health and well-being, social inclusion and life skills programs. They have a unique capacity to (and they do) contribute to the targets of the [South Australian] state strategic plan relating to health, education, employment and social inclusion. Community centres are a critical part of the not-for-profit service network in South Australia, with a unique contribution to make through local, 'place-based' approaches and accessible programs which are non-stigmatising and non-judgemental. It is increasingly recognised - but not always (as yet) - reflected in public policy that best practice social and community development, as the platform for subsequent local and regional economic development, involves place-based approaches. Essentially, they include bottom-up partnerships (supported by government) that draw together members of the community, community leaders, service providers and local assets, the business community and local government.

A key focus of place-based approaches is to contribute to the strengthening of local assets (physical, human, financial and social) and especially that human capital is the single most important factor in enhancing local development and growth, with reducing the proportion of people with low skills appearing to be more important than increasing the proportion with high skills. The contribution of community centres to engaging those who are or who have experienced disadvantage, in the teaching of literacy, personal and generic skills is therefore foundational to civic participation, workforce engagement and social and economic inclusion. Centres are open to all. However with a high proportion of people accessing centres from groups of particular disadvantage, including culturally and linguistically diverse communities, newly arrived migrants, people on low incomes, refugees, unemployed people, people at risk of social isolation and people with low literacy and numeracy levels the centres provide a unique opportunity to reach those most likely to be disengaged and those who are hard-to-reach.

The scope of this research is to provide evidence as to the impact of community centres. There is considerable literature at the national and state level on community centres, their evolution and role in the community. We canvass some of that literature to establish a context and convey an understanding of centres, their models of operation, sources of funding and activities they provide. This is necessary background for our principal purpose - specifically - to provide evidence of the economic and social impact resulting from the activities of community and neighbourhood centres.

The structure of the report is as follows: Chapter 2 provides a brief overview of the national network, the South Australian network, the location of centres and some key facts and figures. It provides a brief discussion of their role in the community; Chapter 3 describes the different management structures, principal activities and sources of funding; Chapter 4 provides information on the methodology and approach to the task; Chapter 5 summarises our case studies that are the foundation of estimating broader impacts; and Chapter 6 draws together the assessment of impacts.

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