''There's been no consultation. They've hit us out of the blue.''
Mrs Hall said by staying at the respite house every second weekend, her son was building the confidence needed to move into a supported living arrangement.
He was saddened by the closure of the place he called ''his house''.
On his final visit last month, her son, who has limited verbal communication skills, hugged the walls and furniture to express his sadness about the closure.
''As a parent that was really hard to watch,'' Mrs Hall said.
The needs assessment service Access Ability told the family there were no other respite houses in the city with space for new clients, Mrs Hall said.
''Reg and I are not getting any younger and we want to transition him to supported living while we are still around to support him. Now we are back at square one and I'm gutted.''
Mrs Hall said the home support service IHC wanted to close provided a ''buddy'' to help her son in their home once a week with tasks including shaving, bed making and meal preparation, to help him transition to independent living.
The ''buddy'' also does an activity with him, such as seeing a movie or swimming.
The family were appalled'' they learned of IHC's intention to exit the home support service via social media.
Her son was ''devastated'' his ''buddy'' would be taken away.
Sandra Paterson said her son Sam, 29, had used the respite house overnight three times.
It had helped her son realise he could live away from his parents.
''We won't always be here and he'll need to go into some form of care later on.''
Her son was on a waiting list for another respite facility but every other provider in Dunedin was stretched to capacity.
''We are in limbo.''
The communication from IHC on the facility closure had been appalling and there was outrage among families.
The focus of IHC had shifted from providing services families needed to making money, she said.
Kim Caffell's son Bradley, 20, got nine hours of home support a week from Idea Services.
Caffell said she believed nearly 60 Dunedin families were affected by the change to home support.
Nearly 20 more families in Dunedin were on a waiting list for home support, she said.
Idea Services had signalled it was cutting 5 per cent of its business nationally, but the need for home support in Dunedin was increasing.
Sue Patterson's daughter Hayley, 30, was one of the first people to use the respite facility when it opened in 1994.
''For our family it was a godsend.''
IHC spokeswoman Gina Rogers said a small number of families used the respite house.
She would not confirm how many families the cuts had affected.
IHC was seeking to move out of providing home support, contract board and foster care but expected other providers to take up the services.
The IHC services would continue until families had transitioned into support which worked for them, she said.
The IHC decided not to renew its contract for autism family education and therapy programmes last week as it operated at a loss.
Disability Issues Minister and Associate Health Minister Nicky Wagner said she appreciated the work Idea Services had done ''but this is not their finest hour''.
''The cancellation of their autism spectrum disorder services contract without notice to the Ministry of Health or, more importantly, without notice to their vulnerable clients is deeply disappointing.''
The ministry was working hard to establish alternative services.
