Under the Pathway to Partnership funding system, essential social services delivered by community organisations would be fully funded, allowing organisations to concentrate on what they did best - delivering services, Dunedin North MP Pete Hodgson said.
The new funding system would encourage results, rather than just the processing of more clients, and would stop nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) from competing against each other for funding, he said.
Dunedin's Catholic Social Services would receive a funding increase of more than $73,000 in 2008-09, increasing each year until full funding was achieved in 2011-12, he said.
Until the announcement of the increased funding, the organisation had been facing a difficult year, Catholic Social Services director Ian Donnelly said.
"It is fair to say we were struggling.
We were heading towards a deficit, because we were faced with increasing costs and requiring more donations just to make ends meet."
The allocated funding would help the organisation plan for the future, retain staff, reduce time spent on fund-raising, and deliver better services, he said.
Catholic Social Services assisted more than 400 families every year, providing services such as social workers, counselling, parent support groups and parenting courses.
"This funding assistance is a significant step to addressing our financial concerns and we are heartened that the work of NGOs such as ours is being recognised."
More than 850 community-based child, family and youth services will be fully funded under Pathway to Partnership, expected to cost $446 million over the next four years, up from $183 million in 2007-08.
