City of Greater Bendigo Council is asking residents to complete a survey to help identify the most pressing social needs in the local community.
Community Partnerships Manager, Andie West said the Council’s Community Partnerships Unit supports liveability by working together with residents and groups to support a community that is inclusive, strong, connected and resilient.
“This means it’s responsible for understanding the needs and priorities of the community to deliver on Council’s commitments to community development, fairness and social equity, accessibility and participation, community safety, respect for others and sense of belonging,” Ms West said.
“The aim of the Community Needs Assessment is to support a more evidence-informed and targeted approach to resource investment.
“It’s important that services, policies, and programs meet the real needs of the community and work well. Without proper planning, services can become fragmented and may only react to problems instead of focusing on preventing them from happening in the first place and basing decisions on evidence.
“The City is now undertaking a systematic approach to understand the community’s social needs as funds and other resources are becoming increasingly constrained to address them.
“Community feedback will help us understand where we could focus our efforts. We can’t increase our services, so doing more in one area, will mean doing less in another – and we want to get it right.”
She. said all community feedback will be analysed along with other information to form a fuller picture of community needs using current best evidence.
“Ultimately this evidence will inform decisions that the City makes about how it delivers to the community in terms of its role, whether that be service provider, advocate or facilitator, and to ensure that future resource allocations are invested for maximum positive social impact.”
“The project aligns with our commitment to the City’s Social Justice Framework and will help inform the incoming Councillors in their future decision making. It will also assist with future planning via the City’s Council Plan and Municipal Public Health and Wellbeing Plan renewal.”
The survey is available on Council’s Let’s Talk community engagement website until Monday October 21.
