Growing our Neighbourhoods
Supporting residents to improve connections with neighbours and create safer communities.
Growing our Neighbourhoods is the City of Armadale’s universal, community capacity building approach to improve neighbourhood connections and support safe communities.
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Get to know your neighbours
The City of Armadale encourages residents to create a great neighbourhood where people support each other and increase community safety. Most of us lead busy lives, and it's easy to go weeks without more than a passing hello to the people living next door. But the connections we have with our neighbours have a real and lasting impact on our health, happiness, and sense of community. Knowing the people who live nearby can make our streets safer, more connected, and a better place to live for everyone.
Getting to know and building connection with your neighbours is a low-cost, high-impact way to improve your own wellbeing, contribute to a safer street, and help create a neighbourhood where everyone feels they belong. Neighbourhood and community connection is important to the City, with it being identified as one of the City’s Social Priorities. Read below to find out ways the City assists through initiatives aimed at encouraging neighbours to connect, including the Community Barbecue Rebate designed to support a gathering with neighbours to promote safety and reduce social isolation, a Hello Neighbour! Connection Postcard to assist in swapping contact details, and a Neighbourhood Directory to bring contact details together.
Download the 'Get to know your neighbours' Flyer below.
Hello Neighbour! Postcard and Neighbourhood Street Directory
The Hello Neighbour! Postcard is a simple, no-fuss way to introduce yourself to a neighbour and start building that connection. Fill in your half of the postcard with your name and contact details, then pop it in a neighbour's letterbox. There's space for them to fill in their details and return their half to you. You can keep their details handy for whenever you need them — or collect a few and put together a Neighbourhood Street Directory.
The postcard includes a simple checklist so you can let your neighbours know how you're happy to help when needed. Options include putting out the bins, watering the garden, collecting mail, feeding pets, keeping an eye out, sparing a cup of sugar, helping with lifts and errands, or offering a coffee and a chat.
The Neighbourhood Street Directory is a booklet that brings your whole street together in one place and lists the contact details of households who have chosen to be included. Nominate as a Street Champion (see below) and start one today or just use one to collate your collection of Hello Neighbour! Postcards so all the information is in one place.
Be a Street Champion
A Street Champion is a volunteer who cares about your neighbourhood and has decided to coordinate a directory. Your neighbours will then contact you to be added or removed from the directory, or to update their details. Don’t forget that consent is key - every household listed should have chosen to be included — no one should be added without their consent. The directory is for the personal use of residents in the neighbourhood only — please keep it confidential.
To be a Street Champion, postcards and directories are available at City libraries, the Administration Centre, and as an editable download (below). It is recommended to download the editable version of the Directory to complete, making it easier to update and distribute to your neighbours. You never know, what starts as your personal ‘getting to know your neighbour’ project might evolve into an entire directory!
Community Barbecue Rebate
The Community BBQ Rebate program is designed to promote a safer, more connected and friendly neighbourhood. The purpose of the rebate is to support a gathering with neighbours to work together to promote community safety and reduce social isolation.
The City of Armadale may offer a rebate of up to $100 to help you organise a community event in your neighbourhood.
How to apply:
Register your activity with the City of Armadale at least two weeks before your event
Host an alcohol-free activity and keep your receipts
Apply for your rebate of up to $100 online after the event
Please read the Community BBQ Rebate Guidelines and Information before submitting your application. To register your activity please complete the Registration Form below. If the City approves your event for a rebate, you can complete the Rebate Form and submit it with your receipts.
For more information, email info@armadale.wa.gov.au or call the Community Development team on 08 9394 5000.
Community Barbeque Rebate Part A - Application - Registration (online form)
Community Barbeque Rebate - Part B - Claim Form (online form)
Neighbours Every Day
City of Armadale is a ‘Very Neighbourly Organisation’ and is proud to uphold and promote the principles of Neighbours Every Day (NED). Neighbours Every Day is Relationships Australia’s social connection campaign promoting the benefits of social connection and building capacity for everyone in Australia to make and maintain respectful relationships. Together with Relationships Australia, the City of Armadale is dedicated to helping create belonging and to building inclusive communities residents want to live in.
Neighbours Every Day aims to empower everyone in Australia to create belonging for themselves, their families and their neighbours. Community members can do this by focusing on inclusion and connection, making others welcome, and by building respectful relationships with those around us. Whether through a cuppa, a picnic in the park, a message of support or a simple act of friendship, connection can, and should, be something we all strive for.
To help with this mission the Neighbours Every Day campaign provides simple, practical tools to create belonging every day of the year.
Visit the Neighbours Every Day website for more information and additional resources.
Neighbours Every Day - 10 ways to achieve belonging
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Neighbours Every Day - 20 Connection Tips to Create Belonging
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Neighbours Every Day - Conversation Cards
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Neighbour Day
The City of Armadale invites residents to get to know their neighbours through Neighbour Every Day’s Day of Action - Neighbour Day, celebrated on the last Sunday of March each year. Neighbour Day provides the perfect opportunity to increase social connection in your local area; you can celebrate by hosting or supporting events. Register or find an event at the Neighbours Every Day national register.
Keep an eye on this space for future initiatives the City of Armadale may introduce closer to Neighbour Day held nationally on the last Sunday in March.
Neighbourhood Connections Network
The City of Armadale recognises that there are many community groups and organisations operating within the City advocating for their suburbs and providing a space for members to share information and discuss important topics. The Community Development team assists these groups and organisations by providing an opportunity for group leaders or nominated representatives to get together to collaborate, share information, celebrate successes and discuss goals and future projects. This is called the Neighbourhood Connections Network (NCN).
Although the City established and supports the network, this is a network led by community groups and organisations. The goal of the network is to encourage stronger relationships between likeminded groups and organisations, provide professional development and learning opportunities, and promote civic engagement and social interaction through residents' participation in community action.
Community involvement provides a sense of belonging and social connectedness and can offer extra meaning and purpose to everyday life. The City of Armadale encourages residents to get involved in community groups or organisations that interest them, not only for the social connectedness participation provides, but also as an opportunity to create belonging and better neighbourhoods for all residents to enjoy.
If you belong to a community group, club or association within the City of Armadale and are passionate about fostering social connection, sharing information, and advocating for your suburbs or community members you can join the NCN. The network meets every second month at Frye Park on Clifton Street in Kelmscott, and all community groups, organisations and clubs are welcome.
For more information, including meeting times and dates please visit the Engage page or contact Community Development on (08) 9394 5651 or CSAdministration@armadale.wa.gov.au. Alternatively, please feel free to just attend a meeting. No RSVP is required and we’d love to have you come along.
Activity Trailer
Did you know the City has an activity trailer that's available to activate your community and is free of charge for incorporated community groups? The trailer has a built in BBQ and fridge, and contains a full suite of equipment needed to run a small community event. Groups can use this trailer to run fundraisers or simply host events in the community.
Use of the trailer is free, all you are required to do is book online, provide evidence of your group's insurance, and pay a returnable bond. You do not need a 4WD to borrow this as the trailer has been designed to be towed by the average family vehicle with a tow bar.
To learn more about hiring the Activity Trailer, read more here before booking.
Become a Community Safety Champion
Community Safety Champions are local residents who are passionate about keeping their neighbourhood clean, healthy, safe and friendly. Residents may become Community Safety Champions and contribute towards building a family-friendly neighbourhood. As a volunteer, your role is flexible, so you can get involved whenever you have the time. What can Champions do?
Promote Community Safety
Encourage residents to get to know their neighbours
Organise a street BBQ or event
Receive an invitation to attend the City of Armadale's events
Receive an invitation to attend a free training
How to become a Community Champion? If you would like to get involved, please contact the City of Armadale Development Team via info@armadale.wa.gov.au
We encourage diversity and welcome applications from all cultures and backgrounds.
Learn more about the benefits of neighbourly connection
Knowing your neighbours matters because…
1 - It's Good for Your Health
The evidence is clear: social connection is essential to our wellbeing. Studies have found that the health risks of social isolation are comparable to smoking 15 cigarettes a day, and that loneliness is linked to depression, cognitive decline, cardiovascular disease, and reduced immunity. Knowing your neighbours doesn't just feel good it is genuinely good for you!
Regular, even brief, contact with neighbours has been shown to:
Reduce feelings of loneliness and social isolation
Lower stress and social anxiety
Strengthen your sense of belonging to the place you call home
2 - It Makes Your Street Safer
Neighbours who know each other look out for each other. People who are connected to those around them are better placed to notice when something is wrong, respond in an emergency, and recover more quickly from events like fire, flood, or extreme weather. Research also shows that connected neighbourhoods experience less conflict and feel like more stable, secure places to live. Knowing who lives nearby and having their contact details can make a real difference when it counts.
Knowing your neighbours means there's someone nearby who can:
Keep an eye on your place when you're away
Grab your bins or collect your mail
Check in if something seems off
Be there in a crisis — whether it's a medical emergency, a storm, or just a really bad day
Neighbours are often the first people on the scene when something goes wrong, long before any other help arrives.
3 - It Builds Stronger Communities
Connection between neighbours creates the kind of social fabric that benefits everyone. When people know and trust those around them, whole communities become more resilient. Streets where neighbours are connected tend to feel safer, friendlier, and more welcoming. People look out for each other, especially those who might need it most, like elderly residents living alone or families going through a tough time. Neighbourly connections can also provide practical support like a hand with the bins, collecting mail and feeding pets. When people on a street know and trust each other, the whole neighbourhood benefits.
4 - A Sense of Belonging Starts Next Door
Belonging isn't just about big communities or grand gestures. Research tells us that a sense of belonging can shift several times a day based on our interactions and experiences. A warm wave from a neighbour, a shared conversation, or knowing there is someone nearby you can call on, these small moments add up to something significant.
You don't need a neighbourhood event or a formal introduction to get started. A smile, a wave, or popping a note in a letterbox is enough to begin. The hardest part is often just taking that first step but once you do, most people are genuinely glad you did. Because at the end of the day, great neighbourhoods aren't built by councils or committees. They're built by people like you, one connection at a time.
Neighbourhood Connect
Neighbourhood Connect Inc. has a range of ideas on their website
Neighbourhood Connect - Additional Resources and Inspiration
See more about safety at home and in in your neighbourhood on our Security, safety and crime prevention pages.
Research:
Allen, K.-A., Kern, M. L., Rozek, C. S., McInerney, D. M., & Slavich, G. M. (2021). Belonging: A review of conceptual issues, an integrative framework, and directions for future research. Australian Journal of Psychology, 73(1), 87–102. https://doi.org/10.1080/00049530.2021.1883409
Lim, M. H., Hennessey, A., Qualter, P., Smith, B. J., Thurston, L., Eres, R., & Holt-Lunstad, J. (2025). The KIND Challenge community intervention to reduce loneliness and social isolation, improve mental health, and neighbourhood relationships: An international randomized controlled trial. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 60, 931–942. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-024-02740-z
Seifert, A. (2020). Day-to-day contact and help among neighbors measured in the natural environment. Innovation in Aging, 4(2), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1093/geroni/igaa009