Houses call for funds

By Tania Martin
NEIGHBOURHOOD houses and learning centres in the hills are struggling to remain viable as State Government funding continues to fall short, according to the Association of Neighbourhood Houses and Learning Centres (ANHLC).
In the past 12 years, government funding had remained the same, causing neighbourhood houses and learning centres to cut back on opening hours and staff resources, ANHLC board of management president Colleen Saunderson said.
ANHLC has just launched a new campaign for funding increases.
The group has developed a 2006 budget submission calling on the State Government for $84 million in funding over the next five years.
Ms Saunderson said it was vital to the health of Victorian communities that funding was provided to enable neighbourhood houses to continue to offer affordable programs, to be staffed for longer hours and participate in crucial partnerships with local governments, business and agencies.
Earlier this year the State Government announced $12.4 million for the network of neighbourhood houses.
Ms Saunderson said this funding was made up of $8 million in a one-off payment for a project to build 10 new houses and centres.
She said only $4.4 million of the funding announced was recurrent, and that it was spread over four years.
Emerald Community House coordinator Chris Easdown said the current funding levels restricted the house from opening five days a week.
Emerald Community House opens four days per week during the school year, but was unable to open during school holidays as it was not sufficiently funded, he said.
Ms Easdown said the house received a number of requests from the community for the house to open during school holidays.
Olinda Community House administration coordinator Amy Howard said a lack of funding increases meant that many of the paid staff members had to work an extra 30 per cent on top of the hours that they were paid for.
Ms Howard said that if the funding continued to stay the same all community houses in the area would be in danger of shutting down.
Kallista Community House manager Kathy Cann said the funding issue meant the house had to increase the cost of courses it runs and that as utility costs rose it was necessary to raise the cost of courses.
Hanni Schoen from the Selby Community House said that if the funding levels continued to stay the same the house would have to decrease its opening hours, which may affect its child care facilities.
Ms Schoen said more funding was needed, with house employees already underpaid.
Belgrave South Community House manager Lyn Young said because funds had not been increased for many years the house was unable to expand its services as the community’s needs grew.
Matt Nurse, a spokesman for state Minister for Local Government Candy Broad said the State Government would give community houses in the Yarra Ranges an extra $250,000 over the next year.