By Vanessa Chircop
AN organisation that has already assisted more than 400 residents in crisis this year may be forced to shut down with the council threatening to withdraw its funding.
Staff at the Hobsons Bay Crisis Intervention Service say they are now appealing to the councillors to vote down a council officer’s recommendation to slash their contribution.
At last Tuesday’s council meeting a motion to cease funding for the service was deferred until early next year.
Chairman of the Board of Management Michael Prager said the Hobsons Bay Crisis Intervention Service was only called into a meeting and alerted about the motion last Monday – 24 hours before the motion was set to be voted on by councillors.
“We’re disappointed given that Laverton Community Integrated Service has been providing the service for 12 years,” he said.
Mr Prager said the meeting left him speechless and he preceded to email the councillors to request the motion be deferred to give them the opportunity to ensure that they were aware of the realities of what they were being asked to do not just the financial strategy.
“At this stage we’re grateful to councillors for deferring the matter and for giving us the opportunity to brief them before making a decision,” he said.
“We’re surprised that council officers would have put the recommendation to council without that happening.”
Mr Prager said the service provided immediate emergency crisis relief to residents and then referred them to other organisations for long term support.
“There is no other agency that we’re aware of in this locality that provides that sort of crisis and immediacy of care to the vulnerable people of the community.”
Mr Prager said he was told at the meeting that the officers were recommending the funding be pulled because crisis intervention was not a council responsibility but a State Government responsibility.
Director Community Services Peter Hunt said the service was established by the council to provide prompt crisis intervention for the community and then to refer clients onto other support agencies.
“From the period January 2010 to December 2010, the service saw 1294 clients,” he said.
Despite the recommendation Mr Hunt said the council is committed to improving the health and wellbeing of its residents.
“The Laverton Community Centre remains an important partner of the council in delivering services to the local community.”
In the last three financial years the council has provided $243,000 in funding to the service.
Mr Prager said without this continued funding the service will cease to exist.
“Now it’s in the councillors hands,” he said.
