The Federal Government's $100 million Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP) Growth Funding 2024-25 grants have been allocated to 133 providers, including home care operator Five Good Friends, dementia specialists HammondCare, and ASX-listed operator Regis Aged Care.
Grants began at just over $40,000.
The largest grants were awarded to:
- Not For Profit Kirinari, which provides disability, housing, transport, and ageing services in NSW, Victoria, and Tasmania, received a grant of more than $15 million, the largest awarded.
- Sydney-based private CHSP and disability provider Caura Pty Ltd received a $6.3 million grant.
- NDIS provider Essential Care Victoria Pty Ltd was awarded $5.9 million, as was Not For Profit NDIS provider Multicap Limited.
- Innovative Not For Profit McLean Care Limited was awarded a $4.1 million grant.
- Private NDIS provider Sublime Healthcare Pty Ltd, based in Sydney and on the NSW Central Coast and Hunter Valley, received $3.3 million.
93 of the recipients will become CHSP providers for the first time under the grants program.
The aim of the grants, announced last April, was to increase the availability of domestic assistance, home maintenance, allied health, and transport services delivered through the CHSP, with a particular focus on getting providers delivering similar care services, such as aged care, Department of Veterans Affairs, and the National Disability Insurance Scheme providers, into the CHSP.
Payments began flowing to recipients at the end of November 2024 and will continue until 30 June 2025. The grants mean approximately 28,000 people will access new or additional CHSP services, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Aged Care told The Weekly SOURCE.
The new grants come at a challenging time for the home care sector. Data as of the end of September 2024 shows 76,081 older Australians are waiting for a Home Care Package at their approved level and wait times have blown out to 15 months for a Level 4 Package.
The Government has a target of reducing wait times to three months by 2027, but in the interim, older Australians often rely CHSP services while they wait for their Package to come through.
The CHSP is also being extended from 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2027 with the new Aged Care Act to regulate CHSP providers the same way as other aged care programs.
For the full list of grant recipients, click HERE.
