"We are about building everyday connectedness and caring ... we have lost that ability to engage, we are not socialising like we used too," Mr Stoneley said.
One of their main focuses now is helping elderly with issues such as isolation and the emotional costs of this. Another prominent issue is vulnerable people falling into scams.
"It can be hard when you hear of someone who has given thousands of dollars to an account overseas and still thinks it might be genuine," Mr Stoneley said. "These people may simply not have anyone so we must think, well, how do we communicate with these people and support them?"
He said there was an assumption everyone had a computer, when in reality many people don't.
"Our ageing population is increasing and some of them have never had a computer and don't want to know, or it's just too hard.
"It's easy to bypass and forget about these people but they are a very important part of our community."
Neighbourhood Support has established a secure database for people to sign up to and allows users to indicate what skills they have. This will help authorities co-ordinate the appropriate response for a particular event.
"Someone might have additional accommodation so we can find a place to stay for someone that's as close as possible to their own home," Mr Stonley said.
"And you might have someone with certain skills we need so we can pinpoint where they are and we can see what households have which skills."
Neighbourhood Support also works to prevent crime and often helps to identify issues that need attention from the police.
If you would like to join the Neighbourhood Support network or become a volunteer, please visit www.manawatuneighbourhood.org, or call (06) 323 73 86.
