Log In

Reset Password

Rest homes hit by cuts

Budget 2013(Photo by Akil Simmons) February 22, 2013

The Island’s two Government rest homes were dealt modest funding cuts in the latest Budget.Funding for the East End’s Sylvia Richardson Care Facility fell 5.8 percent — from $5.47 million to $5.27 million.Lefroy House lost 5.7 percent of its $5.4 million funding in the 2013/14 Budget, and will now receive $4.9 million.A total of $19 million has been set aside for refurbishments to the ageing West End facility. The funds were initially allocated after the property was damaged during Hurricane Fabian in 2003. As of March 31, 2012, just $1.6 million of that funding had been spent.Government spent $200,000 on the project last year. The OBA has allocated $350,000 to that end for the 2013/14 fiscal year.The two care facilities show a slight drop in staff: at 63, Lefroy House is down one on the complement set in last year’s Budget; Sylvia Richardson drops from 58 to 56.Meanwhile, the National Office for Seniors has lost 3.3 percent, or $19,000, of its funding after its grant fell from $568,000 to $549,000.