437 Hunter is more than a physical building. We welcome vulnerable people as our guests. We collaborate with individuals, organisations, and groups in and around the building. We operate a co-located and integrated practice model that connects organisations and works on new ways of providing services. Embrace People & Place is the head-lessee of 437 Hunter and is responsible for the overall management of the building. The Partnerships & Impact Manager from Embrace People & Place actively supports the co-location and collaboration of in-house partners.
Many vulnerable people have negative experiences when they visit services or attend projects. This can include ‘zero tolerance’ of behaviour linked to mental health, addiction, or trauma. Sometimes they don’t get to tell people about their worries or people don’t understand their experiences. We are creating a space for vulnerable people that is supportive and meets their needs and rights. This means doing things differently.
We also want to work out what it takes to create and sustain a successful co-located practice model and service provision that is informed by service users.
Guests to our building participate in services and programs. They also help with planning and improving services and programs because they know what they need.
Embrace People & Place supports and coordinates in-house partners. Our in-house partners are the other independent organisations that are tenants in the building.
In-house partners collaborate with each other in a co-located and integrated practice model. They support each other to develop and strengthen.
Our model is in development and will change over time as we learn new things. We are learning how different services can come together in one place and keep their own identity while collaborating with each other as a whole.
We are learning about different ways of working with vulnerable people and we’re learning about their amazing ideas and strengths.
Some of our questions at the start of developing our model include:
We’re also interested in seeing if the building at 437 Hunter Street could ultimately have its own identity in the city. It is a place where important community members visit and work. Together, they are an important voice that can help inform what happens in Newcastle and the surrounding area. It could even turn into a model that other cities could adopt.
We’re settling in a number of new in-house partners and will begin more in-depth work on our Model of Practice.
Watch this space!
