Community Options, a long-running ACT case management and advocacy organisation, will end client services at the end of this year – and the community sector has warned the lack of a replacement service could push vulnerable Canberrans into crisis, increase avoidable hospital admissions, and place greater pressure on Canberra Hospital and Clare Holland House.
Palliative Care ACT and the Health Care Consumers’ Association of the ACT have joined Community Options in calling on the government to identify a pathway for Canberrans who rely on the service, regardless of who provides support.
“What concerns us is that the people who need these services will still be here after we are gone,” former Community Options CEO Brian Corley said. “We are still no closer to an answer about who will provide this support in the future.”
For 37 years, Community Options has provided case management, advocacy, and practical support to vulnerable Canberrans who are not eligible for programs: people with chronic or life-limiting illnesses, people who do not qualify for the NDIS or aged care, and families navigating complex health and social care systems.
But the 2026-27 ACT Budget provided no funding for its proposed Community Transition Support Program, and its client services will end on 31 December.
The organisations warn that staff members’ specialist knowledge, trusted relationships, and referral pathways across the health and community sectors may be dispersed and ultimately lost.
“If this service disappears without a replacement, people will not suddenly stop needing help,” Paul Arztenhofer, CEO of Palliative Care ACT, said. “Those needs will simply emerge somewhere else, often at a point of crisis and often within a health system that is already under pressure.”
Practical support can be as important as clinical care for someone with a life-limiting illness, Mr Arztenhofer said. “Help navigating services, attending appointments, coordinating support at home, or managing the impact of illness on daily life can make the difference between coping and crisis.”
Likewise, around 90 per cent of Australians would prefer to receive end-of-life care at home if the right support were available, Mr Arztenhofer said – but Palliative Care ACT is concerned that the loss of this service would mean more people reach crisis point, making it harder for them to remain at home, and increasing demand for inpatient services such as Canberra Hospital and Clare Holland House.
The ACT Government’s Health and Community Services Directorate is working with Community Options and other stakeholders to consider how the two programs it funds – the Palliative Care Project and the Women and Newborn Community Support Program – will be delivered after the organisation closes, a spokesperson said.
“Our priority is to minimise disruption for clients and maintain access to support throughout any transition.”
The government will continue to fund the Palliative Care Project until the end of this year, and the Women and Newborn Program until the end of June 2028.
“The ACT Government recognises that uncertainty about the future of any service provider can be concerning for clients, families, carers and staff,” health minister Dr Marisa Paterson said. “Our focus is on the people who rely on these services and enabling them to receive the support they need.
“We will continue working closely with Community Options and other stakeholders to examine options for how services are provided when the organisation closes and ensure appropriate arrangements are in place.”
Lachlan Atyeo, executive director of the HCCA ACT, said: “The people who rely on Community Options have not disappeared.
“We hear regularly from people who are trying to navigate multiple systems while managing illness, caring responsibilities or other complex circumstances. Too often, they find themselves moving between services, eligibility criteria and waiting lists, without help to make sense of it all.
“From a consumer perspective, the question is simple. If Community Options closes, where do these people go?”
