A NEW respite care facility in South Morang will be the first of its kind in the Whittlesea area.
Non-profit disability service Scope Victoria is seeking to lease a section of council-owned land at the corner of Embling Avenue and Vincent Drive in South Morang to build an adult respite facility.
The site was previously earmarked for a community activity centre, but plans fell through because of its close proximity to a similar centre.
At an ordinary meeting on June 25, councillors voted to charge an annual lease of $1. The council will accept public submissions on the proposed lease from July 2 to July 30.
A respite facility offers a day care service for people with a disability. The short-term stays allow the primary carers of people with disabilities to have a break.
North ward councillor Ricky Kirkham said it was a much-needed addition to the limited disability services in the north.
He said the new facility would be “automatically oversubscribed” as soon as it opened.
The City of Whittlesea had always been behind in accessibility to respite facilities, he said.
“For a long period of time the state government hasn’t always recognised the need in the area.”
The facility will provide respite to more than 60 families a year and help meet the requirements of the City of Whittlesea Disability Action Plan 2009–2012. Cr Kirkham said Scope’s facility would provide a “good hub and sense of community”.
Whittlesea council officers found “the respite house would neither compromise the amenity of local households nor compromise future community use of the site”.
Scope chief executive Jennifer Fitzgerald said that as the northern region continued to grow, people would be affected by the lack of respite care beds.
Ms Fitzgerald said there would be large spaces for social interaction and smaller, private spaces for quiet time.
“The building will be designed to create an atmosphere that is warm and welcoming,” she said.
Ms Fitzgerald said the facility would let families “take a break and rebuild their energy and motivation to continue caring for loved ones”.
The public submission form on the lease proposal is at whittlesea.vic.gov.au.
