Lessons in Resilience

Summary

The Lessons in Resilience project brought together a coalition of organisations across Melbourne’s west – including community services, health providers, local government, research institutions – to foster shared learning and strengthen organisational and community resilience. The project aimed to support resilience, just adaptation and health equity by developing a strong local evidence base for community service and health organisations to draw upon.

Through its research and partnerships, the project deepened understanding of local climate and disaster risks, documented existing efforts across the region and produced recommendations that respond to local context and consolidate the practice wisdom and experiences of participating organisations.

The Final Report and Evidence Review are now available and provide a comprehensive overview of the project’s findings, insights and recommendations.

Background

Led by Jesuit Social Services’ Centre for Just Places (CJP), in partnership with Wyndham City Council and the Western Public Health Unit, the Lessons in Resilience project was delivered in collaboration with GenWest, Victorian Council of Social Service (VCOSS), Victoria University, Network West, cohealth, and Australian Multicultural Community Services.

The project focused on developing case studies of community service and health organisations in Melbourne’s west that adapted their services and operations during disaster and extreme weather events between 2019 and 2025. It examined how different enablers and conditions contributed to effective responses and explored how these insights can inform future place‑based climate adaptation and resilience efforts.

A desktop evidence review consolidated local research, evaluations and inquiries to support the project’s approach and contextualise findings.

This project was funded by the Greater Melbourne Foundation, Wyndham City Council and the Western Public Health Unit.

Project aims

The project aimed to:

• Harness the experience and expertise of a diverse coalition of organisations in Melbourne’s west (including community service organisations, health services, local government, and universities) with deep local knowledge, community networks and shared commitment to resilience, just adaptation and health equity.
• Address a gap in regional understanding of compounding local risks.
• Provide recommendations on evidence‑informed approaches to strengthening resilience within community and health organisations, with a focus on supporting communities experiencing disadvantage.
• Connect and consolidate existing initiatives and investments across the region to inform aligned, evidence‑based planning across systems and sectors.
• Develop an accessible local evidence base to support regional advocacy, strategic planning and capability building.

Project outputs

The following publications are now available to download:

• Lessons in Resilience – Final Report
• Lessons in Resilience – Final Report Executive Summary
• Lessons in Resilience – Evidence Review

These documents provide a detailed analysis of findings, case studies and recommendations for strengthening resilience across Melbourne’s west.