Investing in spaces to have resilient places

When communities move through the phases of disaster recovery, it’s the local spaces and places that bring them together, returning a sense of normality and building resilience.

That’s why Resilient Ready, together with Professor Daniel Aldrich, is developing a South Australian Social Capital + Social Infrastructure Snapshot Report looking at investment in social capital and social infrastructure to build a safer and more resilient state.

Daniel is a recognised global expert in social capital and social infrastructure. He has extensively explored how places where people connect are essential to a community’s recovery and resilience.

“Communities that invest in, and have better access to, community spaces, parks, places of worship and social businesses are more resilient to shocks,” Daniel said.

And Resilient Ready has firsthand experience in connecting businesses, community groups and government organisations to bring about positive change.

In 2022, Resilient Ready (then known as corporate2community) brought Braidwood Servicemen’s Club, Braidwood FM radio station and Braidwood Old Sunday School Hall together to collaborate on a grant application to build the people and places in Braidwood in preparation for future disaster impacts.

The Club received money to add a water system that would not only water the lawn and allow patrons to connect over activities like golf but also provide additional reserves for the local emergency services. The water system also meant that should the Club need to turn into an evacuation place, as it did during the 2019-20 fires, there would be water on hand, which meant they could also look after animals.

The Club also received funding for a toilet refurbishment, which meant the main hall now comfortably accommodates hundreds of people to celebrate and connect in the good times and be a refuge in the bad times.

“Having a Club in a community like Braidwood fosters connections and conversations, which is vital to building resilience,” Resilient Ready Founder Renae Hanvin said.

“Rather than compete separately for funding, these local organisations came together to collaborate on a grant for the good of their community.

“By thinking differently about disasters, we can reimagine the local hairdresser, caravan park, café, footy club, pub, or library as places of connection and support that are critical to a community’s recovery.”

Resilient Ready is a social enterprise delivering innovative solutions to enable every organisation to thrive before, during and after disasters. To keep updated on news and current projects, sign up to our newsletter.