Hidden Lifelines
The village is already here
The connections we build in ordinary times become lifelines in extraordinary ones.
Two years exploring how everyday friendships and community connection build resilience for whatever life brings.
A report on the Resilient Together Project exploring community connectedness, disasters and resilience – August 2026.
Our story in brief
What’s the relationship between a craft group and a bushfire?
It’s not the obvious question to ask about disaster resilience, but it’s the one that shaped a two-year project for Befriend. Funded through the National Disaster Risk Reduction Grant Program, Resilient Together ran from July 2024 to June 2026 across Wanneroo and Rockingham, Western Australia, exploring how stronger community connectedness can contribute to resilience.
One of our earliest learnings was that disaster preparedness is a hard thing to engage people in when it feels distant from everyday life. So rather than creating new groups specifically focused on disasters, we found greater potential in the social structures already around us: friendship groups, sporting clubs, schools, workplaces and community groups. Our focus shifted from building something new to nurturing and activating the village that’s already there.
Through our community research, six interconnected elements of connectedness and resilience emerged. Together, these findings point to something simple but significant: resilience is bound up in the strength of our interdependence. We’re better equipped to navigate difficult circumstances when we have relationships we can depend on, and when we know how to give, receive and activate support.
Maybe a craft group isn’t the craziest place to begin, after all.
Six core themes
A welcoming, inclusive environment
Meaningful relationships, built through invitation
Relationships as the channel for mutual support
Reciprocity as the basis of that support
Shared responsibility for sustainable communities
Inner strength and personal agency
One story, of many
When you're doing well, I'm doing well
I saw some women walking, and I knew I needed to make friends quickly. I just walked up to them and said, “Are you a walking group?” They said yes, and told me they were with Befriend. That was my introduction.
I decided it was going to be my year of yes. I was going to say no to nothing.
Some people remain people you talk to about how their day is going. With others, you become closer friends. That takes time and effort. Sometimes it begins with a shared interest. Sometimes it’s a shared heartache. You are having some difficulty, so you listen to that person and they listen to you.
My husband and I also became friends with a person sleeping rough in our neighbourhood. We decided to accept him as he is and invited him to our house for tea. Oddly enough, we have made friendships through him, just by wanting to keep tabs on him.
I am also learning that you cannot always give. You have to receive. It is a two way street. Other people like to give too and you have to let them give who they are.
One good relationship can create so many others.
Ana (pseudonym)
This is one of nineteen stories we heard. Read the full report to meet more of the village.
It takes a village
This project acknowledges the funding contribution of the Commonwealth Government and support from the WA State Emergency Management Committee. Our heartfelt thanks to the community of generous people who make these stories a reality every day. It truly does take a village.
For questions about this report, contact Nick Maisey via nick@befriend.org.au
