WA Local Government Association (WALGA)’s Post

🆕 Constructing Consensus: The case for community-powered development and regeneration In a report out today, New Local argue for a better system of development in England – one that fully involves and empowers communities in decision-making. Deeper community involvement is key to speeding up building plans and ensuring quality and sustainability. Read the report 👉 https://lnkd.in/d2CS6Jz5 🧵

WALGA’s proposed $30 million annual fund for arts and cultural facilities in WA is a positive step, though modest compared to larger investments in New South Wales and Victoria, which exceed $90 million. This funding reflects a growing recognition of the importance of arts and culture across Australia.

Great news ✨ The Safe Aboriginal Youth (SAY) Program is expanding to more towns across NSW to support Aboriginal youth 🚍   The program currently operates in Kempsey, Taree, Newcastle, Dubbo, Bourke, and Wilcannia — offering safe transport and outreach services to help keep young people safe off the streets at night.   The program is now expanding to Moree, Orange, Coffs Harbour, Tamworth, and Dubbo.   Learn more about this important initiative here: https://lnkd.in/gNApwX2P *This content has alt text applied.

A letter to Provincial Government – PLEASE SIGN https://lnkd.in/gjVuWT4q #OneMillionNeighbours arose out of a need to build a bigger tent, one that could foster new connections between non-profits and community groups. This big tent also helps us advocate effectively with a unified voice and get the attention of decision-makers. With this week's announcement of a snap provincial election, we've fast-tracked publishing the top priorities that came out of the last six months of research and roundtable discussions. This is an open letter to all candidates, based on what you brought to the table. Please sign this https://lnkd.in/gjVuWT4q – PLEASE SIGN onemillionneighbours.ca arose out of a need to build a bigger tent, one that could foster new connections between non-profits and community groups. This big tent also helps us advocate effectively with a unified voice and get the attention of decision-makers. With this week's announcement of a snap provincial election, we've fast-tracked publishing the top priorities that came out of the last six months of research and roundtable discussions. This is an open letter to all candidates, based on what you brought to the table. Please sign this Open letter to provincial election candidates – One Million Neighbours Waterloo Region, and we will publish all responses from candidates on onemillionneighbours.ca. We do not plan on endorsing specific candidates, but their responses will be useful to help people in their decision to vote. Our collective voice is so important in this moment: non-profits and community groups are working every day to make life better for our neighbours, and our experiences should be top-of-mind in this election. While the full One Million Neighbours report is still in the works, and there are still two roundtables happening over the next month, this Provincial election is a critical time for us to lead the conversation about how we can work toward an inclusive, resilient, and abundant future for Waterloo Region. I sincerely hope that you see yourself and your organization reflected in these priorities. So please, sign the open letter, and let's make sure our provincial candidates hear what we have to say. Sam Nabi, Project Coordinator One Million Neighbours Waterloo Region #leadership #community #WaterlooRegion #StrongerTogether

Powerful messaging here. Like the adage “not what you say it’s how you say it” the same applies for what you don’t say but for your behaviour

The Rural Guided Pathways Project, led by the National Center for Inquiry and Improvement, engages rural community colleges to collaborate with each other and community partners in their regions to implement evidence-based, institution-wide reforms grounded in the guided pathways framework. Click the link to learn more! https://bit.ly/4hkAZdN #RuralPostsecondaryEd #AscendiumEP

🏠✨ Exciting News! Join us at the 2024 Fair Housing Conference hosted by The Office of Civil Rights, Housing Department, & Economic Development Of Texas! ✨🏠 At the upcoming conference, we're proud to spotlight advocacy efforts for people with disabilities, rental assistance for the homeless, mental health and mental illness support, affordable homeownership opportunities, down payment assistance, legal aid, home repair services, and housing counseling. Here's a glimpse of what you can expect: 1. **Advocacy for People with Disabilities**: Learn about the latest initiatives and strategies to ensure equal housing opportunities for individuals with disabilities. 2. **Rental Assistance for the Homeless**: Explore programs and resources aimed at providing stable housing solutions for those experiencing homelessness. 3. **Mental Health & Mental Illness Support**: Dive into discussions on the intersection of housing and mental health, and discover support services available for those in need. 4. **Affordable Homeownership Opportunities**: Gain insights into pathways to homeownership that are accessible and affordable for all communities. 5. **Down Payment Assistance**: Understand how down payment assistance programs can make owning a home a reality for more families. 6. **Legal Assistance**: Get informed about your rights as a tenant or homeowner and learn about resources available for legal assistance in housing matters. 7. **Home Repair**: Discover programs aimed at assisting homeowners with essential repairs and maintenance to ensure safe and livable housing conditions. 8. **Housing Counseling**: Receive guidance from experts on navigating the housing market, understanding contracts, and making informed decisions about housing options. This conference aims to bring together stakeholders, advocates, policymakers, and community members to collaborate, share knowledge, and explore solutions to pressing housing challenges. Save the date and join us as we work towards ensuring fair and equitable housing opportunities for all residents of Texas! #FairHousing #HousingEquality #CommunityDevelopment #TexasHousing #Advocacy #SupportServices #AffordableHousing #Homeownership #MentalHealthAwareness #LegalAid #RentalAssistance #HomeRepair #HousingCounseling #HousingForAll

We are celebrating 50 years of North Kesteven District Council over the next few months. Some years ago, a retiring colleague gave me a copy of the 1968 Redcliffe-Maud Report on Local Government Reform. The report triggered the reorganisation of Local Government in 1974, albeit in a different form to that proposed in the reports conclusions. For 50 years, local government has been making a positive difference across our communities, through day in day out delivery of essential public services, community leadership, innovation, and investment in infrastructure, economic development, local housing solutions and place. At North Kesteven, we are proud of our track record...on economic development, investment in housing, development of culture and the arts, and in our commitment to customer service and performance every day in every community. A massive thank you to the whole team for making a difference now in 2024, and every day for 50 years...and we do have one colleague who has been working for the organisation throughout its 50 year history, a remarkable achievement. And what about the next 50 years? We need to reframe the debate and encourage a step change in policy development...for example...we need a new economic model, regenerative and redistributive, designed to promote flourishing communities, address climate change and reduce inequality. We need a preventive model of public service delivery, in concept a system based approach to addressing the social determinants of health. We need to break out of the 'doom loop', and boost investment in public services and infrastructure appropriate to local need and ambition. And we need a new constitutional settlement, rebuilding global and European governance, and building on the Council of Europe Charter of Local Self Government - in character more internationalist, more local, more place based, less national. And whatever the future holds in terms of the function, purpose and form of local government, we need to reverse the 'bigger is better trend' and the centralism of the last 50 years and embrace the local, the place, and the complexity of the networks, relationships and diversity that gives shape to our communities. #localgovernment #leadership #lincolnshire #sustainabledevelopment #northkesteven District Councils' Network

This is what Regional Councils of Governments do best: Help local governments serve our residents better. Invisible to most, the 16 regional councils of government of North Carolina address regional issues through high levels of collaboration. #localgovernmentmatters #regionalcollaboration

Our report, ‘Mission accepted: the role of colleges across the government’s five missions’, highlights innovative work from colleges across the country on economic growth, net zero, community cohesion, access to education and training, and the NHS. https://lnkd.in/eya93zdH