Presbyterian Support Otago (PSO) has achieved positive social and financial results, against a background of continually rising costs and recession-fuelled demand for services, its annual meeting heard this week.
The organisation also faced tough choices about some of its services, given limited resources, as well as changing community needs and funder priorities.
In his report, PSO board chairman Frazer Barton said human service agencies, like PSO, were "doubly challenged in a recession".
Demand for its services had increased, but funders, both Government and philanthropic, were "reassessing their priorities" as they looked to reduce funding in line with their diminished interest returns, Mr Barton said.
More than 100 people attended the meeting, at Burns Hall, Dunedin.
Board corporate and finance committee chairman Ray Macleod noted PSO had achieved a $57,000 net surplus for the financial year to June 30.
The size of the financial challenges faced could be seen in the organisation's annual turnover of about $30.8 million, of which the surplus was less than 0.2%, he said.
PSO officials announced earlier this month the organisation proposed to reduce its counselling service, provided through the Cameron Centre, to move more resources into social work, reducing full-time equivalent counselling staff from 3.5 to one.
Criteria for government funds used to run PSO services had changed and were targeted towards community-based services, officials said.
Mr Barton said the latest annual report reflected a theme of "Growing Strong Communities" and noted it was often older people who were "lonely and socially isolated".
Government policy favoured "ageing in place" and the "continuum of care" offered by PSO, from retirement villages, independent living, rest-homes and hospitals enabled each person to gain "the right mix of support and independence", he said.
During the year, 1268 clients used services such as advocacy, budget advice and social work, and a further 815 received various forms of counselling.
PSO chief executive Gillian Bremner said given the "global financial crisis", PSO's Family Works programmes had been "stretched" to serve those people, including families, needing help.
A grant from the Government's Community Response Fund had helpfully recognised this "extraordinary demand".
PSO had also received "extremely positive reports" from the Ministry of Health, resulting in two of its aged-care facilities, Taieri Court and Elmslie House, receiving coveted four-year certification, officials said.
Presbyterian Support, working with other service providers, had been able to influence the Southern District Health Board to reconsider the pace of implementation of its proposed cuts to home-based support services.
"This meant clients were better informed and more able to advocate for themselves when faced with reassessment of their needs," she said.
