The looming closure of Allison House after news they will cease operating next month has come as a shock to the families of the six current boarders, as well as the wider community.
The hostel, which has accommodated some 500 boarders at Williams St since first opening its doors in 1964, told parents in an email last Tuesday evening they were shutting down due to financial challenges.
In the email seen by the Truth, Secretary Treasurer Lynn Pritchard told parents, “along with the increased costs of utilities, staff and maintenance of the property, a decline in student numbers has rendered the facility financially unviable”.
Accepting that the closure will cause challenges for boarders and their families, the statement said, “we are committed to supporting isolated students completing their secondary education and will continue with this ethos going forward”.
Milparinka Hotel publican Rebecca Young, who is the parent of one of the six boarders, told the Truth the hostel board’s announcement after a meeting on Tuesday night came as a complete surprise.
“We knew absolutely nothing about the closure, I knew absolutely nothing of it, I don’t think any of the parents heard anything at all,” said Ms Young.
But Ms Pritchard told us, “the closure has been coming for some years and has been brought to a head this year”.
“This was by no means a rash decision by the committee. As I stated before, it is a financial decision, and all avenues and options available to us have of course been considered,” Ms Pritchard said.
Ms Young says, “we are all stressing about where our children will go. They might have to come home and do home schooling.”
With only six weeks until the hostel closes, families like Ms Young’s are now in a race against time to find alternate arrangements.
Complicating the challenge is the associated financial burden the closure will place on boarders and their families.
Ms Young points out the Assistance for Isolated Children’s Scheme (AIS) provided the funding for her child to board at the facility.
“Allison House has tried to keep the costs at that level to keep it affordable for everyone,” she says.
There is no guarantee an alternate arrangement can maintain the current costs for a boarder.
Ms Pritchard says alternative and additional funding would be required to keep the boarding house open and even that would come with some strings attached.
“Alternative funding would be great, but it would need to be sustainable. The support required by the House is for more students to use the facility.”
It may be the accommodation can be saved, though it seems a long shot at the moment.
State MP Roy Butler has requested further information from the centre in a bid to seek out potential funding, “to keep the house open”. Federal MP for Parkes, Mark Coulton has also weighed in, telling the Truth he was sad to hear about the closure of the hostel.
“If the management of Allison House contacts me or my office for assistance, I will be more than happy to investigate what can be done to help keep the boarding facility open,” said the MP.
“I would also be happy to do what I can to support the families of those students affected by the closure if they were to contact me,” Mr Coulton added.
