Hume City Council, VIC
Winner of the Welcoming Cities Awards for Change in the local government category.
Approximate population 250,000
35% overseas born
0.7% Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander
Faced with increased Covid-19 cases and low vaccination rates, Hume City Council used an integrated approach to engage with the community.
Hume City Council is one of Australia’s fastest growing and culturally diverse communities and home to over 250,000 residents. More than 35% of the population were born overseas, representing over 153 languages spoken.
During the fourth Covid-19 wave, the Hume community experienced a disproportionate number of cases compared to other areas in Victoria. This was coupled with low vaccination rates exacerbated by poor local vaccine supply and access. Challenges in Hume were compounded by the prevalence of highly mobile essential workers, many new arrivals including those with large households, and instances of non-compliance with government restrictions.
Council received the Covid-19 Local Partnership Funding (Victorian Department of Premier and Cabinet) to help establish a Hume City Covid-19 response team that would ensure a whole-of-council and community approach. The team came from all departments including community capacity building, human resources, project management, emergency management, administration, communications and public health.
One of the programs to come out of the community engagement was the Hume Health Champions, a team of community leaders from diverse backgrounds deployed to engage with members of their own communities. The program was established to improve health outcomes, communication pathways, and testing and vaccination rates for Hume’s multicultural community.
The Health Champions, chosen for their connections and ability to reach different people, covered a cross-section of the community. There were 26 Champions in total, across 18 different Victoria. This was coupled with low vaccination rates exacerbated by poor local vaccine supply and access. Challenges in Hume were compounded by the prevalence of highly mobile essential workers, many new arrivals including those with large households, and instances of non-compliance with government restrictions.
Council received the Covid-19 Local Partnership Funding (Victorian Department of Premier and Cabinet) to help establish a Hume City Covid-19 response team that would ensure a whole-of-council and community approach. The team came from all departments including community capacity building, human resources, project management, emergency management, administration, communications and public health.
One of the programs to come out of the community engagement was the Hume Health Champions, a team of community leaders from diverse backgrounds deployed to engage with members of their own communities. The program was established to improve health outcomes, communication pathways, and testing and vaccination rates for Hume’s multicultural community.
The Health Champions, chosen for their connections and ability to reach different people, covered a cross-section of the community. There were 26 Champions in total, across 18 different language groups. They received training on the realities of Covid-19, how to clearly present information, and how to manage conflict when mistrust or resistance occurred. While getting health information out to the community, the Champions also became faces of Hume’s official Covid-19 communications campaign. This made the communications and engagement even more effective because they featured people the community already knew.
Health Champion Fauzia Elahi said that misconceptions and worrying opinions were being spread throughout her community. Her key role was to “eliminate confusions regarding what information, prevention, care and treatment procedures were correct and sort the scientific facts from the worrisome, incorrect opinions.” She said that safeguarding people’s mental health was also imperative, and she ensured connections were made and supported. “As a Hume Health Champion I felt the need to promote positivity, uplift spirits, and radiate hope.”
In October 2021 Hume’s double vaccination rate went from 35.1% to more than 78.7%. Council recognises that this was the result of a whole-of- community effort from a range of community organisations, groups, government and individuals.
Multicultural Community Development Officer Celia Chang said the Council’s way of working has changed for the better. “The learnings gained from breaking away from working in silos and taking a collaborative approach to working across sectors, including using bicultural workers and multicultural community leaders, have been valuable in informing practice.”
As the pandemic turns yet another corner, Hume City Council continues to invest in deeper community engagement to develop tailored local responses. They are currently working on a mental health and wellbeing recovery program that includes the development of a mental health literacy training program for bicultural workers and previous Health Champions. While the ongoing health, social and economic impacts of Covid-19 will be felt for some time, Hume City Council is ensuring that the community has the support they need.