A BACKLASH is building in the western suburbs against fee hikes for thousands of people living in supported disability care, as protesters prepare to take to the streets.
Tina Polizzi has two sons with disabilities. Her son Adam, who lives in Department of Human Services accommodation in Altona North, was among close to 2500 Victorians who received a letter in May saying board and lodging fees would increase by 50 per cent – consuming 75 per cent of the disability support pension and their entire rental assistance.
Left with less than $100 a week, Adam, 29, won’t be able to afford many of the activities he enjoys.
‘‘This increase will have a dramatic impact,” Ms Polizzi said.
The Victorian Advocacy League for Individuals with Disability (VALID) has launched a petition calling for a reversal of the increases, saying they would “create severe financial hardship” by reducing leftover income of people with a disability to less than $5000 a year.
Families of people living in western suburbs supported care are planning a march at Werribee to drum up support for VALID’s petition.
Western Metropolitan Liberal MP Andrew Elsbury said plunging disabled people into poverty was not the intention of the changes and the government was trying to ensure people received the same level of care across all suburbs. He said DHS staff would speak with families to make sure they received the care they needed “without inflicting undue hardship”.
