The last three months have been very busy for all Board members

COMMUNITY LIFESTYLE ACCOMMODATION LTD
April Edition 2015
Chairman’s Report
A warm welcome to all CLA members and supporters
The Cloverleaf project was planned to
address the critical need to house older
people
with
a
severe/profound
intellectual disability still living with their
aging parents/carers at home. The
project is a unique housing and support model and is a
joint
venture
between
Community
Lifestyle
Accommodation (CLA) and the Southern Mornington
Peninsula Uniting Church (SMPUC). It seeks to support
individuals with a disability and their families, to engage
with the local community and inspire others to embark
on a similar journey.
The Uniting Church have generously allocated the land
where Ten individuals with a disability will have an
opportunity to live in a community which ‘feels like
home’, providing 24\7 support for six individuals with a
severe / profound disability and four individuals who will
live independently with support. It will provide a homely,
warm, safe, supportive environment based on the values
of care, choice, dignity and love.
The project brings together shared values of social justice
for all and a truly inclusive open community that values
all its members as contributing citizens.
Originally the capital cost of the buildings was to be
funded by the State Government. However, this is no
longer the policy. The current policy is that the costs
must be supported by families, the community and
Governments. When applying for capital from the
Government, projects are assessed on the basis of value
for money for the Government. Thus, families must be
prepared to contribute a bond to secure a place in
supported accommodation. The size of the bond is
determinant upon the amount of capital that can be
acquired from other parties e.g philanthropists service
organizations and businesses. The Board is doing
everything possible to minimize the burden on families.
To achieve this, discussions have been arranged with
Arthur Rogers, the Deputy Secretary of DHHS, Housing
Choices Australia, Glen Foard, the CEO of Melba Support
Services and lastly Senator Fifield’s Personal Assistant.
Unfortunately the NDIA has made it clear that they will
not supply capital to construct buildings.
CLA’s Carer’s & Friends Support Group:
February, twenty families enjoyed lunch together, shared
information & stories at the Baxter Hotel Tavern. All
present were given an update on our Cloverleaf housing
development at Rosebud by CLA’s chair Kevin.
March –A carer’s recognition award from Carers Victoria
enabled CLA to organise a lunch for thirty two guests at
the beautiful Morning Star Estate at Mt Eliza. It was a
stunning venue, delicious food & excellent service. A day
to remember that was magical!!! The owner Judy Barrett
has offered to be CLA’s patron.
The Rosebud Uniting Church has offered the Dromana
Church Hall for CLA to use as an office and meeting place
to set up a carer support base, till the Cloverleaf
development is built. The board is putting in for grants to
enable us to employ a paid person to run a support
group, assist local unpaid and family carers with
information, assistance to contact the services they need
to support their person. Social lunches and outings will
be held depending on the budget.
The friendships that we build are a wise investment, life
treasures are people ---together.
Save on your power bills:
Carers Victoria has been contracted by the state
government to deliver a series of presentations on saving
money on electricity bills. These will include how to use
an online tool that the state government has created
called My Power Planner. My Power Planner enables
users to enter details of their electricity usage and
compare all other offers to identify if a cheaper option is
available.
Contact Mick Leyden, Carer Support Group Project,
T 03 9396 9547 (Direct), F 03 9396 9555, M 0477 223 367
Mon, Thu, Fri
 Alfred Health CareLine on Tel: 1800 052 233 or 9076
6111 Email info@carersouth.org.au
 Gippsland Carer Association Inc Tel: (03) 5133 3343
The Innovation Frenzy
Extract from an article by Max Jackson & Margaret Ryan3 March 2015
What is truly new in accommodation for people with
disabilities? - Is there really a housing model or
approach or design in accommodation that has not yet
been tried?
Legislated principles
Based on the legislated principle of people with
disabilities being able to enjoy the same opportunities as
other in the community, therefore it must be that
accommodation options and services available to people
with disabilities must encompass the same range of
opportunities available to others in the community.
What does innovation mean in terms of disability
residential accommodation?
In order to address this question we must firstly ask:
What residential accommodation options are available in
the community? Then we must also ask ourselves: What
models or approaches are currently operating in the
disability sector? And further: What models or types of
accommodation are rejected under the new philosophy?
Equal opportunity
CLA remembers with love the life of Glenis Newman
Who passed away on Dec 23rd 2014; several members
attended the service 31 Dec to celebrate her life and to
offer condolences to Glenis’s family. In lieu of flowers,
money was donated to CLA. Glenis was an original
member of our group, who was loved & respected & will
be missed.
Links to Services, Peer Support and Advocacy:
 Carers Victoria 1800 242 636
 Family Relationship Support for Carers (FRSC)
information, counselling, workshop/forum assistance
to carers Tel: 1300 303 346, Email: info@each.com.au
 NDIS enquiries@ndis.gov.au housing@ndis.gov.au
 Office of the Public Advocate Advise Service Tel: 1300
309 337, Email: OPA_Advice@justice.vic.gov.au
Along with the right to be treated like others in the
community is also the much-promoted concept of choice,
this being that people with disabilities have the right to
choose where they live, with whom and in what type of
accommodation. Yet, despite this immutable right, if the
option sought through a funding application is anything
other than that deemed to innovative, it will be rejected.
The ideologues and policy gurus conveniently argue that
choice has limitations. Of course it does. However, the
limitation should not be manufactured as restricting the
choice to only those models imposed, or approved by the
decision makers, who, because they control the funding,
make the choices. After all, we do not impose the same
philosophical restrictions of the rest of the community.
Equally, by rejecting reasonable models that already exist
or exist for the rest of the community, where is the
choice for those people with disabilities who want to
move out of the family home? Where is the choice for
those aging parents who are forced to continue to have
to care for their sons and daughters with disabilities in
the family home because there is no other option? And,
where is the choice for those families who might join
together and who seek other accommodation options, or
who are self-starters and initiate submissions for
funding?
Parents must have the right to speak/ support their
loved son or daughter into accommodation of their
choice!
The Much Talked about Housing Paper prepared for the
NDIA about a year ago was binned, now the Federal &
State Ministers are meeting before the end of April to
discuss a plan to implement a strategy to address housing
under the NDIS. To delay like this is not beneficial to the
thousands of aging families who are in fear of dying
before 2020.
Please go to Make Every Australian Count website
www.everyaustraliancounts.com.au and tell them what
options the person you support needs to be happy,
healthy, and safe and have long term security in a caring
environment free from abuse and neglect.
Have your say on the NDIS quality and safeguarding
framework under the NDIA Visit engage.dss.gov.au to
down load the consultation paper and fact sheets and
have your say –Consultation closed on 30th April 2015
CLA’s Fundraising
Our efforts over the past 3 months have been very
successful. Firstly we have had various sausage sizzles, a
book fair and donations from CWA Mornington Peninsula
and the Uniting Church op shop of Crib Point. This has
resulted in our bank balance reaching new heights. Our
thanks go to our two fund raising Directors Lyn and
Carole for this sterling effort.
Additionally an a la carte lunch at the Briars Mt Martha is
scheduled for the 16th April (for which ALL tickets have
been sold),
A Sunday afternoon of hot jazz, including coffer & cake.
Date 28th June 2.00pm—4.30pm
Chris Mac’s Dixieland Band Featuring Jazz Affair Quartet
Venue Mornington Park Pavilion, Flinders Dr Mornington
Map Ref 104 C10.
Tickets $20, Conc. $18, Children under 10 free.
For tickets ring Carole Lowther 5996 3050
A fund raising appeal launched at a suitable venue to be
advised.
Additionally to cover our running costs various sausage
sizzles have been scheduled.
General meeting
Guardianship
and
information
session
on
Next General meeting is on 23rd of April 2015 at St
Peter's Church Hall, Crn of Queens and Baxter-Tooradin
Rd, Pearcedale.
Meeting commencing at 10.30am.
11am information session OPA
Opportunity to hear John Chesterman, Office of the
Public Advocate speak on Guardianship and the
associated challenges facing parents/families who need
the rights to advocate on behalf of their sons, daughters
and family member with severe and profound intellectual
disabilities. Knowledge on planning for the future care of
a loved family member is essential to relieve the anxiety
suffered by aging parents.
John will take questions from the floor.
Light lunch to follow, time for families to socialise.
RSVP to Marie 5983 8785 Email marie.hell@bigpond.com
Seeking creative volunteers for a major community
challenge.
Community Lifestyle accommodation is working to build
homes and improve the lives of adults with a disability
and support their ageing carers on the Peninsula.
We need people with professional and business skills
for the following roles:
Fundraising
Local events
Laising with Philanthropis Trusts
Write Business Plan
Treasurer
Governance & constitution
Risk Management
IT
Website/Social Media
Interested people, please send CV’s to
Secretary, CLA LTD, 7 Milne St crib Point 3919
Learn more about us:
www.communitylifestyleaccommodation.org.au