Your NNC: Blog
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Spring into summer at Newtown Neighbourhood Centre November 2025 I hope you have been enjoying the warmer weather and the jacarandas in bloom around the Inner West. As spring turns to summer, our community has been buzzing with connection and collaboration. Over the past few months, our team has been working hard to strengthen local ties and listen closely to the voices of our community.
Our Halloween Street Party is always a highlight of the calendar, and this year was no exception. We introduced a new feature – a Battle of the Bands competition for local under-18 musicians, with prizes generously provided by local music businesses. Alongside crowd favourites like the Haunted House, Doggy Halloween Costume Competition, face painting and children’s activities, the event brought our community for an afternoon of fun. A big thank you to everyone who joined in or volunteered – your support helps keep the community spirit alive in Newtown. Our Community Strengthening Team has been busy hosting a series of eight Community Conversations across 12 weeks. Using the Harwood Approach, we engaged local residents from all walks of life to share their hopes, challenges, and ideas for building a more connected community. These sessions reminded us that people want more than services – they want belonging, dignity, and inclusion, stronger neighbourly ties, safer public spaces, and opportunities to co-create solutions that reflect local needs. These conversations are vital in helping shape our next Strategic Plan, ensuring that our future direction is community-led. Next steps include co-designing programs and spaces with residents, strengthening informal care networks, and building opportunities for leadership and collaboration. To find out more or get involved, please contact Michael at [email protected] If you’re a local business owner who wants to give back to the community, we’d love to welcome you as part of our new Newtopian Champions program. It’s a meaningful way to support local initiatives and strengthen community connections. We have three partnership levels to suit your giving needs. Find out how to get involved here. We’re proud to share our latest Impact Report, highlighting the outcomes we’ve achieved together over the past year – from housing support and community development to creative events and advocacy. Read the full report here. Lastly, our Annual General Meeting will be held on Monday 25 November, from 4-5 pm at the Centre. Everyone is welcome – please come along to hear about our achievements and plans for the year ahead. Thank you, as always, for being part of the Newtown community. Together, we’re building a stronger, kinder and more connected Inner West. Healthy Ageing Hub At Newtown Neighbourhood Centre, the Healthy Ageing Hub helps older community members stay active, informed, and socially connected. We offer practical support, friendly advice, and a welcoming space for older people in our community. Growing older should be about staying connected and supported and that’s exactly what our Healthy Ageing Hub aims to do. Funded by the Central and Eastern Sydney Primary Health Network, the Hub is one of three community organisations across the region commissioned to help older adults live well, age well, and remain engaged in their community. The Hub provides a welcoming space for older people, where they can access practical advice, reliable information, and enjoy social connection. Groups, talks and events The Hub offers a variety of ways for older residents to connect. The Social Connect Group, which began as an eight-week workshop facilitated by a coordinator from the Sydney Local Health District’s Towards Zero Suicides Initiative, now meets every week and welcomes new members aged 65 and over. In October 2025, the Hub also launched a Dying Well series, facilitated by a local end-of-life doula and running quarterly. The Healthy Ageing Talks bi-monthly program brings experts and community members together for interactive sessions on topics such as Sleep and Ageing, Reducing Dementia Risk, and Maintaining Healthy Environments. These free events, supported by Inner West Council, Sydney University, and Sydney Local Health District, include morning tea and time for attendees to mingle. Making connections When 78-year-old Mark*, a retired schoolteacher from Newtown, saw a flyer for the Hub at his GP practice, he wasn’t sure what to expect. Living alone, he initially reached out for some help with odd jobs around the house – like changing light bulbs and finding trusted tradespeople. After a home visit by a Healthy Ageing Advisor, Mark was connected with local aged care services and reliable home maintenance support. He was also encouraged to try a social group. While he was hesitant initially, he is now one of our most regular members. Today, Mark attends the weekly Social Connect group, joins in the Hub’s drop-in sessions, and taps into support for everything from technology help to advocacy with bills and services. These connections make such a difference and help people feel part of a community again. Want to join us? Get in touch! Whether you need help navigating aged care services, want to join a small group or just need a hand with everyday challenges, the Hub’s Healthy Ageing Advisor, Alex, is available by appointment or during drop-in hours on Thursday and Friday mornings (10am–1pm) and can be reached on 0493-342-221 or by email - [email protected]. For general information about all services for seniors at NNC please call 9564-7333 and ask for Aged Services. 5 Minutes With Jay "There have been times where a client has been given the keys to their first home and I’m not sure who’s more excited, them or me! It’s a really humbling feeling to know you’ve made a difference in someone’s life.” For more than 10 years, Jason has been a dedicated member of the Newtown Neighbourhood Centre team, serving as a Case Manager with the Boarding House Outreach Service. He helps support some of our community’s most vulnerable residents, building trust, offering practical assistance, and helping them find their forever homes. Q What does your job involve? A I work with clients that live in boarding houses or want to move into one. At its peak there were more than 400 boarding houses in the Inner West, but that number has dropped as gentrification sets in, land values rise, and investment goals take precedent over the basic needs of housing. Our team supports boarding house residents using a person-centred approach, listening to their stories and working with them to identify their needs and goals. Much of my work is centred around helping clients navigate housing applications and move into their forever homes. We also advocate for them across a broad range of needs including liaising with other services on their behalf, dealing with police, doctors, mental health workers, landlords, real estate agents, parole officers, AOD services, hospitals, jails, solicitors, and their families. Q What do you enjoy about the work you do? A There is so much I love about this job, but it really comes down to the amazing people I meet on a day-to-day basis. Our clients are incredible and building a rapport with them is so fulfilling. It’s a privilege to learn about their lives, earn their trust, and support them through their challenges. My love for the Inner West has also been a driving force. Spending most of my youth in the Newtown area before it was gentrified makes me want to give back to the area. I am the person I am today because of this suburb and its surrounds. I have to give a shout out to my team too, I’ve never worked within a more supportive and encouraging work environment. The drive, expertise, motivation and pure passion of this team is amazing. The NNC team are the angels of the streets and I’m truly blessed to be able to say I genuinely love my job. Q What are some of the challenges you face in your role? A Challenges arise daily with this type of work. We have to navigate forever-changing government systems and deal with bureaucratic red tape, while working with limited resources. There are times when you have exhausted all avenues of support for someone and have to deliver a hard truth they may not want to hear. Along with the joys of this work comes a grief, sadness, sorrow, and even death. There are the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. I’ve heard some of the most horrible, frightening things that humans have done to other humans. I’ve been to funerals where it’s just one of my work colleagues and myself in attendance. Sometimes these stories feel like they take away a part of your soul, sometimes they chip away at your moral compass, but I always try and use them to fuel my fight for justice and fairness for my clients. Q What do you love about working at NNC? A No two days are ever the same. It keeps you on your toes, but it also makes coming into work really fun and rewarding. Being a people-centred service, I get to meet some of the most amazing humans ever. I hear a lot of stories about hardship, trauma and resilience but having the opportunity to listen to these stories and hopefully help is extremely rewarding. There have been times where a client has been given the keys to their first home and I’m not sure who’s more excited, them or me! It’s a really humbling feeling to know you’ve made a difference in someone’s life. Seeing that smile, those happy tears, its raw and emotional but in the best possible way. It fuels your passion to want to do more. Q Anything else you would like to add? A I just really want to give a huge shout out and hug to everyone that I work with at NNC. Each and every person here goes above and beyond. There is so much passion and love for what we do. To our beloved Newtown and surrounding residents, come and visit our centre. Say hello, see what we do, get involved, volunteer and support our beautiful community.
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