State government cuts Barwon Disability Resource Council mental health funding
The state government has pulled funding from a Geelong program that has supported thousands of people battling mental health issues, in a move labelled puzzling and devastating.
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The state government has pulled funding from a Geelong program supporting people battling mental health issues, in a move labelled puzzling and devastating.
The Barwon Disability Resource Council (BDRC) delivers the Disability Support Fund (DSF).
It says for almost three decades the fund has supported more than 10,000 people living with mental health conditions in the Geelong and south west regions.
But BDRC executive officer David Petherick said the DSF, which supports people who are not part of the NDIS, would have to end after the state government pulled its funding.
The fund had received state government funding since 1995, including about $420,000 this financial year, he said.
But Mr Petherick said the program was expected to come to an end on Friday next week andaworker would lose their job.
“That is sad and difficult,” Mr Petherick said.
“It really undermines our ongoing viability.
“We’re devastated about the impact this is going to have on people with mental health issues across the region.”
A state government spokesman said with the new Geelong Mental Health and Wellbeing Local service up and running, as recommended by the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System, it was confident people across the region would continue to get the support they needed.
The DSF helped people connect with their local communities through activities like pottery classes or the gym.
“Our concern is what happens to those people and their mental health without this money that raises their community involvement,” Mr Petherick said.
“We’re concerned about deteriorating mental health that will come with this.”
The BDRC said the decision to defund the DSF, which had supported individuals to meet new people, fix a car or buy a bicycle to get to work or participate in community activities, was puzzling.
In a letter to the BDRC, seen by the Addy, health department secretary Euan Wallace wrote: “The Victorian Government has invested a record $6bn in Victoria’s Mental Health and Wellbeing System and we’re delivering programs to ensure more Victorians have access to the treatment, care and support they need, when they need it.”
“We need to avoid duplication of services and re-prioritise funding in others,” Prof Wallace wrote.
The BDRC said applicants for the DSF had limited incomes and relied on it for inclusion and involvement in their local communities.
It said it had been working with Geelong MP Christine Couzens to reverse the decision, but unfortunately, this had not so far been successful.
Mr Petherick continues to call on the government to reinstate funding.
The BDRC continues to provide advocacy and NDIS plan management, and receives state and federal funding for disability services.
Ms Couzens said the BDRC provided great service to our community.
“I am advocating strongly to gain disability funding for the BDRC to continue their valuable work,” she said.
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