Our Sector

Community Services

The Blue Mountains Community Sector is a rich and diverse sector delivering a range of programs and services that strengthen our community. These organisations include:

• Neighbourhood centres
• Family support services
• Youth services
• Children’s services
• Food services
• Health services (including mental health, women’s health, and drug & alcohol recovery services)
• Community transport services
• Legal services
• Accommodation support services
• Domestic violence support services, and
• Disability support services

More information about individual Blue Mountains Community Sector organisations can be found in the Blue Mountains Community Sector Profile and on indivdual MCRN Member websites.

Funding & the Real Cost of Providing Services to the Blue Mountains Community

MCRN has recommended that the NSW Government fund a pilot program in the Blue Mountains that adequately resources services to run localised, community-specific, tailored programs to meet the needs of the Blue Mountains Community.

Read:  

Interagencies

Community sector organisations, groups, professionals and government organisations convene through a range interagency groups - networks, coalitions, steering and working groups, to facilitate an integrated, coordinated and best practice approach to service provision across the Blue Mountains region.  These interagency groups include:

• Blue Mountains Community Interagency (BMCI) - a generalist interagency for local community services sector including individuals, community groups, not-for-profit organisations, charities and government organisations
  
  
• Mountains Multicultural Interagency (MMI) - for community and workers from government and non-government sector to collaborate on issues relevant to CALD communities in the Blue Mountains
  
  
• Stronger Families Alliance (SFA) - a network of government, non-profit and voluntary organisations working together to bring friendship, fun and professional support to Blue Mountains families
  
  
• Blue Mountains Community Care Forum – for organisations who provide services and programs to people with a disability, the frail aged, people living with a mental health issue and their carers
  
  
• Homelessness Prevention & Early Intervention (HOPE) – a coalition of accommodation services, tenancy advice services, family support services, MCRN, local government and Centrelink
  
  
• Mental Health & Wellbeing - this interagency has been incorporated into the Recovery, Resilience & Preparedness Working Group
  
  
• Coalition Against Violence and Abuse (CAVA) – for all agencies and community members who are concerned about domestic and family violence, sexual assault and all forms of violence and abuse against children, and
  
  
• Recovery, Resilience & Preparedness Working Group – a group established to strengthen relationships between emergency services and the community sector at an organisational level, and thus provide a united platform for the delivery of a broad range of resilience and preparedness programs within the community.

More information on interagency groups, including contacts and meeting details can be found on each of their individual pages.

Meeting details can also be viewed on the Sector Meeting Calendar.

Groups Auspiced by MCRN

MCRN supports unfunded and/or unincorporated community groups and social justice campaigns and auspice a range of local action groups including:

• Blue Mountains East Timor Sisters (BMETS) – a volunteer group of women who work to improve opportunities for women in East Timor.
  
  
• Trek for Timor Blue Mountains (T4T) - a group organised by members of the Blue Mountains East Timor Friendship Committeeand Blue Mountains East Timor Sisters Project and other community volunteers and aims is to raise much needed for funds for the people of East Timor.
  
  
• Pink Mountains – an online community information guide and pink pages business directory for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex people, their friends and supporters living in or visiting the Blue Mountains.
  
  
• Blue Mountains Interfaith Group – representatives of the different religious and spiritual traditions in the Blue Mountains who seek to work together on causes of common interest, such as the Care and Celebration of the Environment.
  
  
• Blue Mountains Trade Union Council’s (BMCU) Politics in the Pub – BMCU convenes regular public forums in the Blue Mountains on current and controversial issues.
  
  
• Links for Life - a group of volunteers based in the Blue Mountains working towards the prevention of family violence and protection of children.

More information on these groups can be found on their individual webpages.