Reflection on changes
Change has been a constant in the last 10 years for Ross Walker Lodge , and this is a challenge in maintaining a healthy , happy , intentional community .
The biggest changes in recent years have come about because of the introduction of the National disability Insurance Scheme ( NDIS ). The NDIS has many benefits , but its introduction has changed radically the way Ross Walker Lodge operates . When it was set up , the RWL services of board and lodging were entirely funded by the contributions of residents . The services provided included the provision of an evening meal , food for the residents to make their own lunches and breakfasts , common cleaning services , gardening services , the provision of support by a live-in resident coordinator , as well as accommodation services including provision of utilities . The cost of these services took up a large proportion of a resident ’ s Disability Support Pension .
When the NDIS came in , common support services like the provision of an evening meal , the ordering of food , and common cleaning and gardening services were now funded by the NDIS packages of each resident . And these services were provided by an NDIS certified service provider who had agreements with each of the residents for the provision of these support services . No longer were these services provided by Ross Walker Lodge to the residents . RWL ’ s role changed to being a provider of accommodation services and the provision of support from a live-in resident coordinator .
This was quite a radical change in governance and led to other changes . Initially Uniting Care ( which became Uniting ), managed both the accommodation services ( funded from rent ) and the NDIS funded common support services such as the provision of the evening meal . But Uniting found the economics of the new arrangements didn ’ t stack up , in that they were making a substantial loss under the new arrangements . This was an issue faced by many NDIS service providers .
In the end , Uniting decided to withdraw from the provision of all services for the RWL residents . This was a sad day , as Uniting Care had been part of the RWL journey from the beginning and , without Uniting Care in the early years , RWL would not have been able to operate .
With the departure of Uniting , the residents and their families arranged for the provision of the NDIS funded common support services to come from another service provider – Disability Ageing and Community Care Services ( DAACCS ), and St Margaret ’ s took on the role of providing
St Margaret ’ s News 34 RWL Special Issue