Baulkham Hills not-for-profit, Hills Community Aid (HCA), is looking to expand, with the possibility of locating within a new residential village envisaged for the former Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children site at North Rocks.
Plans for a new residential village by investor, EG, include a 2,000sqm, multi-purpose community space in addition to a library centred around a new village square.
A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between the charitable group HCA and EG to pursue a permanent space for a range of sustainable social, financial and educational programs.
HCA executive officer and program director Mici Beer said if the project is given the green-light, a new centre could open in addition to their two existing ones at Baulkham Hills.
“It is a very exciting opportunity for the Hills Community Aid to be able to branch out into both the North Rocks and Parramatta Local Government area and we are delighted that EG came to us with this opportunity,” she said.
“We have all learned how important social contact is after the last couple of lockdowns and particularly the need for face-to-face engagement. Our programs provide everyone with a chance to meet other locals – neighbours who live up the street or around the corner – and from networks form friendships.”
EG is working in collaboration with the HCA on how best to use the proposed community facilities in accordance with the needs of all parties, including Parramatta City Council.
“We would like EG to be known as a company who thinks hard about how we can make the community better, rather than bulldozing existing structures and constructing something that doesn’t fit in,” Chairman of EG, Michael Easson said.
HCA was established 52 years ago initially to welcome those moving to the Hills region. Over the decades it has evolved to offer a pivotal range of programs including job skills, homelessness prevention, domestic violence support, leisure learning and community transport.
While the not-for-profit group’s branding has ‘Hills’ in its name, its services – which includes No Interest Loan Scheme (NILS) and the Energy Accounts Payment Assistance (EAPA) – are accessed by people living in the Parramatta and Blacktown areas.
Chair of the Board for the HCA, Maria Kovacic said their focus has been on broadening their delivery and making sure they reach people who can benefit from their programs and assistance.
“There is need in the Hills and while there is a lot of affluence, often the need is hidden because of the stigma, so we are very careful in how we deliver that and in a respectful way and giving people privacy in relation to that,” Ms Kovacic said.
A planning proposal for the North Rocks Village Residential Precinct was submitted to Parramatta City Council in May and is expected to undergo public exhibition in 2022.
The Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children – now known as NextSense – are relocating to Macquarie Park.
This post was produced by our newsroom.