MoGB Proposed Group Home at Kokoda Street, North Albury – A
Family Model (March 2018)
The Mother of God Brothers ran a successful Catholic
Community for intellectually disabled men in an ex-orphanage in Thurgoona, a
suburb of Albury for about 30 years. At one stage there was a Group Home run by
another organisation (a sheltered workshop) close by and we learnt many lessons
from them and from our own experiences which we hope to put into effect in a
new Group Home project. We will call this ‘The Family Model’ for reasons which
will become obvious as we explain the project:
The Mother of God Brothers proposed Group Home comprises of
a purpose built 6 bedroom home and a 2 bedroom Manager’s Unit on the same
property.
There will be 5 residents, with the 6th room
available for occasional use for overnight carer, office work, etc.
The House Manager(s), probably a married couple whose family
has grown up, will reside in the Managers’ Cottage but spend sufficient time in
the main house to make sure that the residents are well looked after: ie meals
prepared, dishes washed, personal hygiene supervised, clothes washed and ironed
if necessary, house cleaned and tidy, health monitored, assistance given with
social life, family involvement
encouraged, residents helped to maintain a daily work or activity program, and
religious and cultural practices supported, etc.
This type of Group Home in NSW comes under the category of
‘Boarding House’ and this category has some advantages for us. These benefits
are:
The NSW Government has an entry criteria for Boarding Houses
called the ‘Screening Tool’. Any prospective resident has to meet certain
standards of health and abilities because Boarding Houses, by definition, are
not designed to cater for persons with high support needs. This suits ‘The
Family Model’ because the House Managers are on duty 24/7 (except when they are
on holidays, or attending social functions, etc) and would not be expected to
carry the burden of caring for high support residents.
Finances:
The residents would contribute a percentage of their DSP to
the House (say 85%).
The House Manager(s) should qualify for Carer Pension(s) and
they would also pay something towards board and lodging. Although it is not as
financially rewarding as a proper paying job, it is at least some income for
the Manager(s) and, after all, we are looking for dedicated people who will see
the residents as ‘family’, and who are not in the job for financial reward.
The fact that the House Manager(s) are receiving fortnightly
Carer’s Pensions makes the administration of the project much simpler and
effective, with less office work required.
Management:
The Boarding House Act requires a Licensee, who has overall responsibility
for the proper running of the Group House (the Boarding House). In this project
the Mother of God Brothers would be the Licensee. The Licensee then has to find and appoint and
supervise the Licensed Manager(s), who also have to be acceptable to the Government.
The Licensee will need to have support systems in place so
the Licensed Manager(s) can have holidays and time off for special occasions,
and help ensure the residents are well supported in their individual needs.
Additional Comments:
We have seen this ‘Family Model’ in operation at our own
Community and in a Group Home in close proximity to our Community (as mentioned
above). There was a real ‘family’ feeling present in the Group Home and the
residents felt loved and secure in the presence of the dedicated House Managers
who provided the support they needed. The House Managers were mostly dedicated
Christian couples whose families had grown up and moved on. Sometimes the
husband was still working an outside job while the wife was supervising the Group
Home.
If this project becomes financially self-supporting then it
is hoped that some other Parishes may take on similar ‘Family Model’ Group
Homes and help provide accommodation for low-support intellectually disabled
adults and help fulfil the Gospel mandate of proving loving service to those in
need.
NDIS:
The Mother of God Brothers are in the process to registering
this project with the NDIS We expect it will take a number of months to
complete this registration.
The End