A statement from the Board of Richmond Fellowship ACT

• It is with great sadness that Richmond Fellowship ACT Inc will cease providing accommodation services in the ACT and region.
• Over the years, it has become increasingly difficult for small organisations, who lack the economies of scale, to provide NDIS services and remain sustainable.
• The Board of Richmond Fellowship ACT recognises this decision has an enormous impact on our clients and has placed great emphasis on minimising disruption to their daily life and their homes.
• It has been important to find an organisation with similar values and philosophy to continue to run the program.
• For this reason, Richmond Fellowship ACT has been in conversations with Richmond Fellowship Queensland to continue our program.
• Both organisations share the same care ethos which is rooted in the Richmond Fellowship philosophy of shared purpose of support, togetherness, kindness, sociability, and being safe.
• This decision is in no way a reflection on our dedicated team – who have worked alongside our clients to create a home for them – but is reflective of the challenges faced by smaller organisations like us.

It is with great sadness that the Board of Richmond Fellowship has concluded that Richmond Fellowship ACT Inc, can no longer continue to provide its Residential Recovery Program, sustainably and efficiently for clients.

Richmond Fellowship has been a longstanding community service provider, having provided these services to some of the most vulnerable members of our community for many years.

We have been a provider of NDIS services since the beginning of the NDIS, being one of the first organisations to participate in the NDIS scheme, as part of the ACT pilot program.

Over the years, it has become increasingly difficult to provide our services while managing a financially sustainable operation.

Recently, we have had to look carefully at our ongoing ability to be a provider of excellence.

Changes in NDIS funding, in the sector, and the increasing costs of providing services has made it impossible for small organisations like ours who lack of economies of scale, to deliver that which we will not compromise – safe and quality services for our clients.

The Board of Richmond Fellowship ACT recognises this decision has an enormous impact on our clients and has placed great emphasis on minimising disruption to their daily life and their home.

We have worked hard to find a partner willing to continue our program and provide the best opportunity for our clients to continue living in their home that they have chosen and provide continuity of care.

It was important to find an organisation with similar values and philosophy to continue to run the program. Key to our considerations has been to keep our clients at the centre of our decisions.

For this reason, we have been in conversations with Richmond Fellowship Queensland (RFQ) to continue our program.

Both organisations share the same care ethos which is rooted in the Richmond Fellowship philosophy of shared purpose of support, togetherness, kindness, sociability, and being safe.
This is the essence of who we are.

This decision is in no way a reflection on our dedicated team – who have worked alongside our clients to create a home for them – but is reflective of the challenges faced by smaller organisations like us.

In all our strategic decisions, program development, delivery and training – at the heart is always keeping our clients at the centre of everything we do.

We have been focussed solely on providing supported living services to people in the ACT and region who have psychosocial disabilities as a result of mental illness, and we are very proud of our staff who have worked alongside our clients to create a home for them.

We are delighted that RFQ’s entry into the ACT will mean that that our community does not lose a dedicated psychosocial disability accommodation service provider.

RFQ has a strong reputation for professional and ethical service delivery, and we welcome their contribution to providing a wide variety of psychosocial supports in the ACT and surrounding region.

Contact: Katie Whitehead, CEO
M: 0492 854 981
E: katie@rfact.org.au