DBAS manager Andrew Henderson said about 20 people, including representatives of a broad range of community organisations had come together to discuss the service’s future direction in the wake of funding cuts earlier this year.
DBAS has been running for more than 50 years, working with people experiencing financial hardship for a variety of reasons, and provides advice and support around getting the family budget working well, debt consolidation, working with creditors, and more.
However, earlier this year, its core funding was cut by the Ministry of Social Development and despite a reduction in staff numbers, it was looking likely that DBAS might have to wind up.
Among those present at Tuesday’s ‘‘Budgeting for the Future’’ hui were representatives of St Vincent de Paul, Presbyterian Support Otago, Catholic Social Services, Dunedin Night Shelter, Brain Injury Otago, Age Concern Otago, Rotary, Community Law Otago, Dunedin Community House and Dunedin Time Bank.
‘‘It was really good to see people from so many organisations at the hui and to hear their thoughts on our service,’’ Mr Henderson said.
‘‘The upshot was there is definitely a mandate for us to keep delivering the budgeting services we have traditionally offered.
‘‘People are missing us, and many of the other organisations are finding it difficult to access budgeting services for their clients. There is definitely a gap there and a broad spectrum of need.
‘‘It was really encouraging and energising to have that community response.’’
Mr Henderson said the discussion had also covered the ‘‘unique selling points’’ of DBAS — that it was independent and had trained specialist staff.
In terms of areas the DBAS had not covered until now, it was suggested that the service might like to broaden its offering from just ‘‘the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff’’ to help provide ‘‘a fence at the top’’, he said.
‘‘This could involve education workshops, perhaps targeted at specific groups and possibly going into workplaces to provide advice for younger staff.’’
Mr Henderson said he would now take the results of the hui to the next Dunedin Budget Advisory Service board meeting for further discussion.
‘‘With a clear mandate to keep going, we can now feel comfortable about seeking funding to continue our work,’’ he said.
