Surprise $300,000 funding for support group

The East Pilbara Independence Support group last month secured close to $300,000 of Royalties for Regions money for an extension and upgrades to its Newman Day Centre.

It was a surprise for the organisation’s chief executive, Deb Stockton, who said she and her team had worked long and hard on their grant submission.

“It’s going to change a whole lot of lives,” she said.

“We are doing a complete refurbish on the day centre ... We’ll have modern industry-standard facilities.”

The centre provides health and wellbeing care, social support, transport, respite and domestic assistance for the surrounding elderly community.

Of those who use the centre and the facilities, about 98 per cent are indigenous.

Ms Stockton said the big funding announcement was the first of its kind for EPIS which had often only had grants of about $50,000.

She said the group was extremely happy to have received the latest funding, along with $70,000 funding from a Lotterywest grant, which will see many changes for EPIS and which Ms Stockton said would save the group close to $50,000 a year.

“Probably our greatest challenge is we’re funded on a metropolitan model and it’s very different to apply that to not only a remote service but an Aboriginal remote service that takes into account the remote distance,” she said.

As part of changes, the organisation’s office will also be relocated to their site on Les Tutt Drive with the assistance of the Lotterywest grant.

The group hopes it will make things easier for staff and clients.