Moana Hope’s tearful plea to keep special needs program open for sister Lavinia

In an emotional video, AFLW star Moana Hope and her sister Lavinia have issued a heart-wrenching plea to save a Melbourne special-needs centre slated for closure this year.

The imminent closure of a special-needs program has devastated footy star Moana Hope and her sister Lavinia.

The ex-North Melbourne star led a tearful appeal on social media on Saturday, urging authorities to keep the doors open to a centre that had proved a lifeline to her younger sibling, who has a rare neurological syndrome.

She said her sister was among 90 special-needs students and staff left in limbo.

“(This is) a school she attended for the last eight years and it’s the best part of her day,” Hope said.

“Vinny can’t go get a job. This is her thing. And you are taking this away from them all. They are special needs and you tell them that the school is closing down in three months. It’s bulls--t.

Moana Hope is the carer for her sister Lavinia. Picture: Instagram

The Bridges Day Program is managed by Melbourne City Mission.

Hope told the Sunday Herald Sun she feared for the welfare of those in greatest need.

“Parents of these students will have to quit their jobs to offer full-time care,” she said.

“A massive portion of these students are from families who didn’t want them in the first place. They live in share houses, and this program is their only outlet.

“Now they will be left to rot because they have nothing and no one.”

Hope said there had been conflicting reports on the reasons for the closure, but questioned issues about funding given the building was gifted. She said most of the centre’s programs were conducted off-site.

Lavinia is visibly upset in the heart-wrenching video.

“I want to go there,” she said. “I just want to see my friends.”

The sisters share an incredible bond. Picture: Instagram

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Melbourne City Mission said the decision to close its Bridges Service had been a difficult one.

“The decision follows an extensive two-year review on how MCM can best deliver flexible and individualised support of the Bridges Services, our only day service, within the principles and funding models of the NDIS,” its statement said.

It claimed a range of factors had contributed to the decision, including concerns about the existing Pascoe Vale location and a lack of funding to deliver the service model.

A spokeswoman for NDIS distanced the organisation from the closure.

“The decision to cease this individual program has been made by Melbourne City Mission, not the NDIA,” she said

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