Not for profit: New regional projects underway

Not-for-profit organisations in Western Australia are embarking on a number of new projects in regional centres to service communities from Kununurra to Esperance.

One of these projects is the new $6 million Geraldton Lotteries House, which will accommodate 14 not-for-profit groups in the town.

The building, due to be completed by June 2009, will provide extra room for the four tenants at the existing Lotteries House, plus ten additional agencies from a range of sectors including disability services, a community legal centre and a cancer charity.

While the project’s budget is yet to be finalised, it is estimated to be around $6 million, which is to be provided by Lotterywest over a two-year period. 

The land for the site has been donated under a peppercorn lease by the City of Geraldton.

Geraldton Lotteries House chairperson Robert Mosel said the project had endured some construction delays.

“We were hoping to be up by late 2008, but given that building projects are taking longer now, we’ve had to push that out,” he said.

Mr Mosel, who is also executive officer of the Midwest Family Support Association, said his organisation had outgrown its current location and was looking forward to taking advantage of extra space in the new building.

He said the facility would accommodate other growing agencies.

“The architect has gone to each individual agency and asked what its requirements are, so everyone is pretty happy about the project,” Mr Mosel said.

Several other regional projects are focused on community service delivery.

Broome Aged and Disability Services, a subsidiary of not-for-profit aged care provider, Southern Cross Care (WA) Inc, is building a $15 million residential aged care facility on its greenfield site in Broome.

The 55-bed centre will cater for residents in the town, as well as Fitzroy Crossing and Kununurra. 

It will also provide a base for the agency’s community care services, such as meals on wheels, and will include a day care centre.

Southern Cross Care chief executive Stuart Flynn said the centre would provide a much needed capacity increase, with the organisation’s existing 19-bed hostel unable to meet demand.

“The problem in the Kimberley was there were no high care beds in Broome, and only an old facility in Derby,” he said. “Our new facility will cater for all levels of care.”

Mr Flynn said he expected the facility would be operating at full capacity from day one, given there were many Broome residents who had moved away from the town due to the lack of aged care facilities.

He said construction of the new facility was expected to be concluded by the first quarter of 2008, with the building to open around Easter.

Social services provider Centrecare recently completed its family relationships centre in Midland, which has outreach services in Esperance, Kalgoorlie and Northam.

Centrecare received a federal government grant of $1.2 million for the project, which will provide for nine staff members, including four dispute resolution practitioners, and building fit-out costs.

Centrecare executive manager counselling services, Melissa Perry, said the organisation had recently begun training staff in its regional offices, and would provide additional fly-in, fly-out support as required.

The state government has also provided support to regional not-for-profits, having introduced a small grants program last month to assist volunteers in rural and regional areas.

Not-for-profit and community-based organisations are eligible for grants of up to $5,000, which will be used to provide resources for education, training and management programs.

Volunteering Minister Sue Ellery said small organisations would be encouraged to undertake joint volunteering projects with other not-for-profits.

The application process for the grants program will close at the end of the month.