RESILIENCE THROUGH DISASTERS: LCSA MEMBERS SURVEY REPORT – NOVEMBER 2020

Communities and community-based organisations confronted immense disruption in 2019 and 2020 as multiple disasters ravaged NSW, from ongoing drought, to the ‘Black Summer’ bushfires, destructive flooding, and the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2020, WESTIR Limited partnered with the NSW Local Community Services Association (LCSA) to conduct a study regarding the disaster responses and resilience of community organisations and neighbourhood centres across NSW.

The subsequent report, Resilience Through Disasters, analyses the findings of an online survey completed by over 50 community organisations state-wide.

The themes explored in the report include:

• The impact of disasters on service demand
• The multifarious costs of crisis
• The sustainability of service provision
• Engaging with local emergency planning and management
• Accessing disaster-related funding
• Innovating for resilience
• Support for LCSA members, and
• Recommendations for action.

The report can also be viewed on the LCSA website: