In the early 90s the Church was divided into small groups which met as support groups. In one of these groups a couple reported that they were trying to find a group home for their daughter who suffered from RETT syndrome. There was nothing available in Macarthur so we decided that the only way to succeed was to build one ourselves. The Church backed the vision and it was to be called Hurley House after the park opposite. We approached DOCS and the local member but were told it was impossible. Fortunately with our connections through Stepping Stone and the Cottage Centre we had at least a leg in with the government. This was an era , now sadly disappeared , when you made submissions to government and with the right amount of pressure they would accept  the submission.  It was also a time when the Disability Act 1991 came into force to try to get a better deal for the Disabled.

THE COMMITTEE: In true Uniting Church style a committee was formed and they drew up the plans for a purpose built 6 bedroom house. One of the members purchased a block of land in Allman St and in 1993 construction of the House began. Church members joined together in one day to demolish the old house on the block.

 There was no word from the government that they would fund the service. By late 1993 we employed the first House Manager. After we employed her we told her there was no money to pay her. On Christmas Eve 1993 a fax was received saying the House would be partly funded – enough to get us started. We advertised for vacancies and 3 people from the committee had the hard job of picking 5 people with a moderate to severe disability who could live together. They must have done a good job because 22 years later the same 5 people are residents of the House.

THE OPENING: In February 1994 the House was officially opened by a local DOCS officer and began operating 24 hours seven days a week. Picking the right staff was not as easy and it took us almost a year to get the team settled in. As we write this we have 2 staff who have been there for 21 years and the average staff have been employed for over 10 years. We have been lucky to have such dedicated staff.

JUMPING THE HURDLES: Our Policies and Procedures started as a 70 page document and grew to over 400 pages to keep in line with government policies. Apart from our own yearly reviews we had several external reviews , several government reviews and passed the latest hurdle TPV (Third Party Verification). This involved 2 auditors spending 2 days examining all aspects of the program.

THE HOUSE: Over the years much was done to improve the residence. We put in solar power and solar hot water. We had the idea it would be good for the residents and staff to grow a vegetable garden but this proved a failure and we added an extra lounge to occupy the space.

HANDOVER: Due to increasing compliance and regulatory requirements the House has handed over to the care of Uniting Disability in June 2018. However, it continues to house disabled adults to this day