Winner of the Brighter Future Leading Community Engagement Practice 2025 Award,
For The Love of Good is a social enterprise which facilitates deeper community connections, reduces stigma and improves health and wellbeing.
For The Love of Good emerged from a conversation with residents where they expressed feeling isolated and forgotten during the COVID-19 lockdowns. Relationships with neighbours and incidental interactions had slowed and residents reported feelings of anxiety at the idea of re-establishing or making new relationships beyond the walls of their home.
By facilitating shared learning experiences for social housing residents and community members via therapeutic outdoor activities such as beekeeping and apple harvesting, Servants Community Housing created a powerful and sustainable program to
increase connection, reduce stigma, and improve mental health.
Residents worked to build, paint, and assemble the hives and frames ready for the arrival of the first bees. As the program developed, they picked organic apples from regenerative farms alongside community volunteers, designed artwork for cans and assisted in planning a product launch event for their sparkling apple juice.
For The Love of Good has to date produced over 300kg of organic honey made from on-site beehives, and over 20,000 cans worth of non-alcoholic sparkling apple juice, all of which is sold within the local community and beyond. The apple juice is now available online, at cafés, markets, event venues and at Victoria’s Government House. It’s become a source of pride for local MPs, council members, supporters, neighbours, staff, and – most importantly – social housing residents. It has also been featured as a part of a documentary on the impact of Servants Housing aired recently on SBS called
Love in the Walls.
While the concept of teaching skills to social housing tenants is not new,
For The Love of Good takes one step further. By inviting other members of the local community to participate alongside social housing residents, this program creates
more equitable, sustainable and inclusive connections
within the broader community while
reducing isolation and stigma. Ultimately, this creates a greater sense of
belonging and pride for everyone within the community.
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