by Maddy Pearce, Treasurer
I would just like to reiterate again that whilst Neighbour Houses do receive some government funding, they are grossly underfunded, this leaves a 58% shortfall in covering the general running cost for Winch House that must be made up from other sources.
This is an almost insurmountable amount to find each year and all houses are struggling as running costs continue to increase and programs become more difficult to fund. Such as our Occasional Care program, although this service is desired and strongly supported by the community it still struggles each year to meet its financial demands and must be underpinned by the house.
So, whilst Winch House is a not-for-profit it is still imperative that it makes at least a small profit each year so it remains viable, enabling us to continue to deliver services and programs that are based on community needs and not profitability.
Last financial year the House closed with a surplus of just $9834, which is literally just scrapping by, nevertheless we celebrated this figure relieved that we weren’t in the red for a change. This year the house has closed with a surplus of $31381, this is a fantastic result and shows we currently have a healthy balance between unprofitable and profitable programs. Let’s hope this equilibrium continues, however, there are several contributors to this surplus which are of uncertain future plus there are significant cost increases on the horizon such as childcare.