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From: danielwhite12345 on 25 Feb 2007 07:49
Minister Della Bosca's latest press release, announcing 870 new
respite places for NSW families and people with disabilities, is so
much hot air. The completed and fully outfitted Nardy House
Specialised Respite Facility has waited since April, 2005 for
recurrent funding. Time is passing and people are suffering.
The Nardy House Committee worked for seven months with their mentor
organisation, the Cram Foundation, on a tender process set in place by
DADHC that did not result in a tender release! The Minister's press
release says that on Monday, 26th of March, 2007 tenders will be
called for hundreds of new respite places. All tender processes take
six weeks to put in place; conveniently all happening after the State
elections. Another promise that is not worth the paper it is written
on.

The Nardy House Committee has waited an excessive amount of time for a
suitable partnership proposal from DADHC that will allow the
"inexperienced " (DADHC accusation) Nardy House Committee to access
recurrent funding that they are entitled to. Politicians can obviously
wait, that's their plan , but the people needing a service can't wait.
Two partnership proposals sent so far are mere take- overs of the
Nardy- owned facility. They seek to replace the intended clientele
with those who are more "cost effective" regardless of the needs of
people with profound disabilities. We are awaiting a realistic
proposal that addresses the problem; not just a proposal that looks
good on paper and helps those who seek to stay in power. People are
suffering under inefficient bureaucrats who treats their clients as
numbers on a piece of paper to be politically manipulated rather then
recognising them as human beings that are in need. Meanwhile, our
original tender document( with hundreds of pages of supporting
material related to client care, health plans and respite programs to
be carried out with Cram Foundation as our mentor) is still on the
table.

Mr Della Bosca can provide six respite beds to people with profound
disabiities immediately IF HE ACTUALLY WANTS TO FULFIL HIS OBLIGATIONS
TO THE COMMUNITY. The Minister's press release is about taking
pressure off the government, rather than providing REAL RESPITE
SERVICES. This political double speak continues while people with
profound disabilities suffer. The press release is simply a re-run of
the previous efforts to hide a real problem.

The Nardy House Committee is ready and willing to provide a high
quality, fully staffed, twenty-four hour/seven day a week service for
six people with profound disabilities. The community needs this
service and this service needs recurrent funding, not empty rehashed
promises. Promises may sound good on paper but paper will not help now
what is needed is action. We have the beds, we need our money.

Our costs on an annual basis are in the order of one million dollars.
To give perspective the DADHC financial report for 2002-2003, stated
they had over 2 million dollars in petty cash: that is twice as much
as required to fund Nardy House. Bureaucrats think a large bank
balance is more important than helping the very people they
represent.

We are told that for DADHC to run the facility, in the same manner as
we would, it would cost twice that amount. And they want to partner
us! If this was to occur, the people to benefit will definitely not be
the ones in the greatest need.

http://thebegavalley.org.au/nardyhouse.html

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