ABC North Coast pays a visit to The Buttery

ABC North Coast paid us a visit at Binna Burra HQ last week, where they sat down with CEO Leone and past participant Terry who shared their thoughts on the ongoing problems faced by the AOD sector, and the challenges that remain after last year's NSW Drug Summit. 

One of the key points discussed was funding shortages; a snippet of which you can find below.

’The Buttery's residential programs have waitlists of up to six months, but beds are sometimes left vacant because there is not enough staff to support a full house. Chief executive Leone Crayden said one case worker working in an outreach program had around 45 families on her books. "That's a huge case load for somebody that only works three days a week, and those families need so much support," she said.

Ms Crayden said expenses such as insurance premiums had risen considerably, while funding had only increased in line with CPI. "The funding isn't keeping up, not only with demand, but with the skill set that we need to be able to [hire] qualified staff that can really make a difference," she said.

The Buttery's main building, a former butter factory, dates back to 1913 and needs a new roof, while the residential cottages are sinking and need restumping. "This place needs a huge amount of overhaul, and we're not funded to do that," Ms Crayden said."We've seen a decrease in donations and sponsorship in the last 12 months as cost of living has increased, it's very noticeable.The gap is getting wider."‘

If you'd like to see more, you can read the accompanying article here and view the news story here.