Skip to content Skip to footer
Supporting Aussie Families Prepare for Future Bushfires

Habitat for Humanity Australia has been one of the most committed organisations in the greater Blue Mountains and Southern Highlands of NSW mobilising volunteers to provide practical bushfire recovery and resilience activities. Thanks to the support of our volunteers, partners and donors we have been able to support more Australian families recover from the bushfires and now help them prepare for future bushfires.

- Our Bushfire Resilience Program

Operating in NSW

We support communities in bushfire-exposed parts of NSW prepare their homes, connect with their neighbours and reduce risk together. There are five full-time field staff based in and around Greater Sydney, and as a government-funded program there is no cost to residents.

- Community Volunteers are Key

About the program

Focusing on the most vulnerable members of their wider communities, local volunteers will help people prepare for bushfires by clearing away potential hazards at properties and shared spaces.

Alongside partner organisations, Habitat will also be working to help neighbourhoods get together, improve their skills and knowledge, and plan and prepare for bushfires as robust and connected communities.

- Being Prepared for Climate Change

The Need

Climate change highlights the need for all stakeholders to identify risks and capacities in their communities, then work together to prepare for, and adapt to, the changing environment. Residents have expressed a willingness to be better organised, educated, and connected to each other and emergency services. In addition, this project aligns with the National Disaster Risk Reduction Framework (2018) that promotes the need for inclusive engagement, an understanding of the risks presented by disasters, the notion of shared responsibility, and integrated action between sectors.

- What we will achieve

Program Outputs

By Winter 2023, we intend to help prepare hundreds of locations in the greater Blue Mountains and Southern Highlands. We’ll offer trainings, information resources, and other support to community groups to continue bushfire preparation work well into the future, focusing on some of the neighbourhoods most exposed to bushfire risks. And we’ll help vulnerable individuals plan for their specific needs.

- NSW Government

Funded Project

The program is funded via the Bushfire Community Recovery and Resilience Fund and the Bushfire Local Economic Recovery Fund through joint Commonwealth/State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements.

Although funding has been provided by both the Australian and NSW Governments, the material contained herein does not necessarily represent the views of either government.

Volunteer

Take climate action into your own hands with our resilience program. Join us on a volunteer day in the Blue Mountains or Southern Highlands.