Manchester House funding important

FUNDING support for the Manchester House Social Services Society is vitally important as demands on its services increase and its work continues to be relevant to the community’s wellbeing, says Chairperson, Colin McJannett.

He was commenting following the society’s new three-year partnership grant agreement with the Manawatu District Council of $20,000 a year, as well as a further $10,000 per annum towards operating costs of the Senior Citizens’ programme.

“The council grant enables us to address what is required by the organisation,” said Mr McJannett, “and if we did not have it, then services would have to be cut.”

The cost of running the society in the 2008-09 financial year was $577,403, with the scope of its work indicated by the 49,624 visits and incoming telephone calls handled last year as against 15,996 in 1999.

Mr McJannett said Manchester House’s fundamental principle was based on providing relevant services to existing needs, whether they were centred on budgeting, counselling, social work, after-school requirements, elderly support or other areas.

“We are a one stop shop, and to be effective in a small community you must perform or you perish, because people know by what you do if you are valuable or not.”

He said the economic downturn had highlighted the importance of Manchester House to the community because of the broad spectrum of people affected by the change.

“There is an increasing demand on families, but there’s also concern at the number of older/retired people who have seen their incomes reduced because the return on their investments is probably up to 50 percent less than what it used to be.
“And then there are those who saved hard, invested in finance companies and lost their funds. That’s really sad.”

He said many people in this age group were used to looking after themselves but it was important for them to realise that Manchester House was there and would help, if it could. They were not alone.

“It takes a lot of courage to come and ask for help and we need to acknowledge and respect those who are facing up to some issues and trying to sort them out. Manchester House will help people address those issues and to get on and live their lives, but we are not into creating dependencies.”

The amalgamation of the Feilding Senior Citizens’ Association with Manchester House has increased the workload, hence the extra MDC funding. This will involve the provision and expansion of existing services for the elderly in the community.

Mr McJannett hopes the demands on the organisation may lessen over the next decade and strongly supports the development of a series of community standards that encompass areas of responsibility, respect and care.

“The bottom line for Manchester House is that it needs to ensure it remains professional, keeps good stewardship, meets its accountabilities and provides relevant services for our community,” he said.