Central Lakes Trust CEO Susan Finlay with Kay Parker, spokesperson for Wakatipu Community Foundation’s Greatest Needs GP and Mental Health Fund
Central Lakes Trust CEO, Susan Finlay says as the impacts of COVID-19 continue in our community with the spread of omicron; addressing the mental health of our people has never been more important.
“Grants to assist with the mental health of our community have been a reoccurring theme in applications for funding to Central Lakes Trust over the past two years. It isn’t at all surprising that the mental health of our people has suffered,” she says. “Supporting the community to be able to get through these times, is a priority for the Trust.”
This comes as the Trust matches the support of the Wakatipu Community Foundation’s Greatest Needs GP and Mental Health Fund. The fund provides medical and mental health services delivered through all the Wakatipu medical practices and is for those who can’t afford GP visits, prescriptions, tests, mental health counselling etc.
“The Greatest Needs Fund (GNF) was set up as a crisis fund to help the most vulnerable and most affected by COVID-19,” says Kaye Parker, spokesperson for the group. “In the face of omicron, our district’s greatest needs are far from over. We had committed our last funds of $35K to continue the medical and mental health support service. That CLT are matching funds so the service can continue through till the end of June 2022 is wonderful,” she says.
“Although Queenstown was getting back on its feet, omicron has proven to be another setback for the area. Low-income earners, particularly contract workers, beneficiaries and migrants continue to be severely affected. The priority when managing reduced hours and pay becomes rent, followed by food, heating and transport. Medical and mental health issues become ‘discretionary’ to the detriment of us all, and often cases become acute and prolonged as they worsen.”
Since May 2020 the GNF have raised significant funds to support $260,301 worth of GP and mental health support services for those in need.
Ms Parker says the impact of the service can be summed up by a clinician’s testimonial. “My patient had a difficult year, unable to work and struggled to pay for GP visits. Recently he became very unwell and I recommended an ultrasound which he said he couldn’t afford. I explained the Greatest Needs Fund would cover this cost – 24 hours later he was in Invercargill hospital undergoing urgent cancer treatment.”
In the 2021/22 financial year Central Lakes Trust have granted five direct grants in the mental health space amongst 21 COVID initiative grants and an additional 44 grants which also play a significant role in assisting the mental health of the recipients.
The grant facilitated through QLDC for medical and mental health support was one of 15 funding requests that went before the trustees at the latest board meeting, totalling just over $240K in funding.
With one meeting to go in our financial year, the grants budget has been fully subscribed. Mrs Finlay says, “We continue to employ investment strategies which include provisions for flexibility to respond in times of greater community need. “These are trying times, this is what the Trust is here for.”
Other grants include a multiyear grant to Journeys Charitable Trust who receive $21K annually for the next three years to deliver the Journeys Central Otago programme. The programme uses the challenge of various activities in accessible local outdoor 'wild' areas to develop skills and knowledge which enhance wellbeing, resilience, self-worth and belief of young female participants aged between 12 – 15.
Developed in 2018 by three Alexandra woman, the programme was selected in 2019 as part of the Sport NZ Innovations for Young Women fund and with the associated funding the programme was further developed beyond the initial pilot.
Journeys co-founder, Megan Longman says this year the programme will be extended.
“Over the coming three years we will evolve Journeys to have programmes for girls from years eight to thirteen, and will extend the programme beyond Clyde and Alexandra to include Omakau and Roxburgh. We are also working with our older kohine to create and develop our leadership programme.”
The Trust has granted over $9.6 million to date to charitable organisations this financial year end 31 March 2022.