DHS staff in Canberra, with the help of Australian Hearing, has since 2015 raised more than $216,000 for Hartley Lifecare by participating in the annual Hartley Cycle Challenge.

The 2018 team was launched at the DHS offices in Tuggeranong on Thursday, with 28 staff cycling 450km over three days, from Canberra to Charlotte's Pass later this month.

The Cycle Challenge is Hartley Lifecare’s major annual fundraiser and the combined DHS and Australian Hearing team is again the top fundraisers,  with more than $53,000 pledged, bringing its combined fundraising to almost $270,000 over the past four years.

Human Services national manager Marc Mowbray-d'Arbela has participated in all four cycling challenges for the department.

"The Hartley Challenge is a ride which you initially think, 'How could I possibly do 450kms in three days?'.  And the answer is, through the camaraderie and teamwork of people helping you get there,'' Mr Mowbray-d'Arbela said.

"This is now my fourth year and I'm thrilled to have got through three of them. But each year, you still have to train to get there for the three days of riding.

"But even more significantly, the charity of Hartley Lifecare is just so important for our community. To have an opportunity to raise money such as organisation, is a real privilege.''

Hartley Lifecare chief executive officer Eric Thauvette said the DHS team and the other teams in the cycling challenge were "the real heroes'', enabling the service to continue.

"They raise quite a phenomenal amount of money for us to be able to support people with disabilities,'' he said.

"We support people throughout Canberra with high and complex needs, so it's a Canberra-based and Canberra-run operation and the money goes mostly to respite care but we also have some big projects to have some housing options for people with disabilities.''

Those projects included tearing down and rebuilding three supported accommodation homes in Hartley Court, Hughes, at a cost of $2.3 million to $2.5 million. The three homes were built in 1985.

There was also a plan to build a new respite centre in Chapman at a cost of $750,000 to $1 million providing four to five respite beds.

Mr Thauvette said subject to approval, both projects would start next year.

He said the revamped Hughes homes would provide accommodation for 10 people with disabilities and include state-of-the-art technology that allowed people with paraplegia to control the TV, lights or heat with their eye gaze, through their computer.

The respite centre in Chapman was to "respond to the overwhelming demand for respite right now".

"We're constantly full in respite care," Mr Thauvette said.

Next year will be the 20th anniversary of the cycling challenge.

"We already have cycling teams registering for next year,'' he said.

One of Hartley Lifecare's clients, Cameron Smith, will be riding the last kilometre into Canberra with the whoever turns out to be the first team in. The challenge is from November 23 to 25.

Human Services' director Tammy Fitzgerald is participating in her first cycling challenge.

"It's just great to be part of such a great charity and something really special,'' she said.