NATAL Settlers Memorial Homes (NSMH) is looking to the community to help make up a R100 000 shortfall in its monthly running costs.
According to Warwick Chapman, chairperson of NSMH, the organisation has found itself in a tight financial position following the closure of its successful nursing school.
“We inherited Natal Settlers in 2012 which had been run inefficiently, and we inherited a structural funding gap, with the single largest source of funding coming from the Department of Social Development and the money paid by residents for their care. The extra income from the nursing school enabled us to cover the home’s costs, however, when legislation changed in 2015, it meant we weren’t able to carry on teaching courses at the school,” said Chapman.
He said there were a number of hoops which the home would have to jump through to enable it to offer new courses, and that the home was battling to get approval from the government to run the school.
“We’re not going to be accredited for the next six to 18 months, so we have had to go into rescue mode,” he said.
Chapman said there had been massive cutting of costs at NSMH and attempts to find alternative forms of income. The board had, he said, managed to find savings of R200 000.
“We have a shortfall of R100 000 and are battling to bridge the gap. We have done everything from putting a freeze on hiring for a year and optimising staff rosters, to make the home run as efficiently as possible, but we are now turning to the community and appealing for help to make up this shortfall,” he said.
He said one way of doing this would be for 1 000 people in the community to commit to paying R100 a month towards the running of NSMH.
“If people want to guarantee that their donation is well spent, they are welcome to visit the home and to look at the finances,” he said.
If anyone can help, they are urged to contact the general manager, Belinda Naidoo at 031 205 1351 or belinda@natalsettlers.co.za or Warwick Chapman on 083 779 7094. Visit: www.natalsettlers.co.za for more information on this organisation.
