Care in crisis

By Lia Bichel and
HOPES for a one-stop shop for people in crisis could save vital services from leaving Casey.
Casey Council has purchased land to build the much-needed resource centre in Narre Warren, and has called on the State Government to ensure the project comes to fruition.
The council bought the land for $1.3 million. Without government support, Casey Council said the resource centre, estimated to cost $7.5 million, would not go ahead.
The Casey Community Resource Centre is crucial to the needs of residents struggling to make ends meet.
Casey support services are struggling to meet the growing demand of emergency relief and referral, with a 15 per cent increase in requests for help in the last financial year.
Casey North Community Information and Support Service manager Susan Magee said they had been “totally chock-a-block”.
Down the road at the Cranbourne Information and Support Service (CISS), staff often run out of food vouchers before midday.
Ms Magee, one of the brains behind the project, said a resource hub had been needed in Casey for about eight years.
Without the Casey Community Resource Centre, Ms Magee said current services had no room to expand and could be forced to relocate outside Casey.
While the service would still be provided for Casey residents, people in crisis would have to travel to Dandenong or other areas to access help.
“We’re all battling on … we just don’t have enough space here,” Ms Magee said.
The resource centre is expected to provide a broad spectrum of services, including migrant, disability, legal and crisis needs.
“It will be a seamless referral. We’re able to say we can help you out today with this and that,” Ms Magee said.
She said the Casey Community Resource Centre would operate in a holistic fashion.
“It would be easier for the person that is in crisis or suffering from disadvantage so they don’t have to race around to different places.”
Casey mayor Lorraine Wreford said support services couldn’t keep pace with Casey’s growth, with the population predicted to exceed 450,000 by 2036.
“The increasing demand for social services within the City of Casey has left many of the municipality’s most vulnerable and disadvantaged residents exposed and unable to access the services and support they need,” Cr Wreford said.
Casey’s community development director Sophia Petrov said many support services were working out of temporary and inadequate accommodation.
“A number of these agencies have expressed concern that they are not currently able to seek project funding for new services or programs as they do not have the office space to house any additional staff,” Ms Petrov said.
“This situation is unsustainable and many of these organisations have indicated a willingness to pull out of Casey altogether unless appropriate accommodation is found.”
The State Government has indicated its support for the resource centre, but the council’s submissions to the government’s Community Support Fund have not been successful so far.