Prepared for a Victorian provider of aged care, disability support and family services (2014-15)
In 2014 Verso was engaged by a major service provider to undertake community consultation regarding the development of a community hub in a regional centre of Victoria. Verso conducted consultations in a local shopping centre to capture community perceptions in relation to the proposed development and gather data regarding unmet needs. More than 75 people were consulted using this process. Other methods used to engage the community included forums at a local senior citizens’ centre, a hard-copy survey and additional face to face and telephone consultations.
Key findings from the process covered site orientation, the built form, key characteristics of the hub, the service mix and community needs.
In 2015 Verso supported the provider to further progress the hub’s development through the following activities:
- Review of background documents and consolidation of findings, with the goal of identifying principles and developing an evidence base to guide decision making
- Support to form a community reference group, to enable ongoing grassroots buy-in to the community hub and to confirm the community needs that were not being met or resolved
- Identification of the key needs to be addressed by the community hub
- Outlining a hub model aligned to needs and the provider’s goals
- Development of a community hub realisation plan
In 2016, the provider has commenced construction on the community hub, which will include a café, playground, gym and open space that are all accessible to the local community.
Read more about our community hub development capability here.