Centre’s future still uncertain

By Shaun Inguanzo
GREATER Dandenong’s Volunteer of the Year has questioned the council’s commitment to helping drug and alcohol-affected people.
Star revealed earlier this month that Noble Park’s Cyrene Centre was nearing the verge of shutting down after it failed to receive any funding for rent from Greater Dandenong Council this financial year. Volunteer coordinator Von Philp said the centre normally received occasional grants to keep it operating. Under the 2006-07 community grants program, the Cyrene Centre received $40,000 to continue employing a community development worker, but was rejected the $30,000 it requested to run the premises.
Ms Philp, who in January was awarded Volunteer of the Year at Greater Dandenong’s Australia Day Awards, said the Cyrene Centre manager and outgoing chairman met with the council’s community services team this week.
“They were told by the appropriate community services team that the council would no longer be giving us any money towards running the centre,” she said.
Ms Philp said the centre was run by 44 volunteers and provided counselling and other support to drug-affected people and their families.
“Our challenge is to keep the doors open each day, so I would like to know what the City of Greater Dandenong is doing to help this family centre,” she said. Mulgrave MP Daniel Andrews – also Parliamentary Secretary for Health – this week said he would lobby the Health Minister for funds to prevent the centre from closing down.
The council would not say whether it would pitch in funds this financial year for the centre’s rent. But City of Greater Dandenong social development manager Mark Patterson said the council had given $160,000 to the centre over the past four years to fund a community development worker, and $42,697 for “various programs”.
“Council recognises the valuable programs offered at the Cyrene Centre which benefits the community,” he said.