Lake Heights widow Isabel Espada says her late husband would have been saddened by a row which has led to more than 20 young disabled people leaving the Balgownie community house he helped establish.
"It was named after my husband, Rui, in appreciation for his help in converting the house from a dilapidated mess to a state-of-art venue to teach life skills," Mrs Espada said.
Mr Espada died of a heart attack, aged 42, in January 2008 - weeks before the project was completed.
Dream sours as wrangle engulfs Rui's PlaceRui's House, in Margaret St, has now become the centre of a controversy involving disability services provider Essential Personnel, parents and a staff member.
The row erupted in August when Essential Personnel, which bought the house in its own name, suspended and later sacked manager Cathy Potter.
Soon after the suspension, parents of 23 of the 25 clients removed their sons and daughters, claiming dissatisfaction with Essential Personnel's actions.
CEO Amanda Calwell-Smith said she could not disclose the reason for the sacking due to employee confidentiality. She denied Essential Personnel had acted inappropriately.
Mrs Espada said one of the greatest ironies was that, at the time of the sacking, her late husband was given a posthumous Healthy Cities award for his part in the Balgownie project.
"The award should have been a thing of great pride for our family ... instead it was bitterly disappointing knowing the disabilities program he helped to establish had fallen apart," she said.
Mr Espada, a Bunnings worker, became involved in the project after he met Ms Potter at the barbecues she held outside the store every second weekend to raise the deposit on the house.
"A week before he died he organised a working bee among his colleagues to finish off the house ... they turned up in droves," Mrs Espada said.
She is now supporting the breakaway group in its efforts to rebuild the program at a different venue, with the support of House with No Steps.
She said one of their priorities was to get back from Essential Personnel the money the families, including her own, had raised for a community bus to transport their children.
"It is a substantial amount of money," Mrs Espada said.
"I attended a charity ball at the Fraternity Club in May organised specifically for that purpose.
"More than 100 members of my family were there, my sister-in-law alone paid $2000 for a signed football jersey."
Essential Personnel's Ms Calwell-Smith said an investigation was underway into fundraising monies.
"We are not in a position to make a comment at this stage," she said.
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