By Lucy Waldron
The unexpected news of Protea Place closing its doors in June rocked the community, but it spurred them into action.
To fill the void this closure caused, the Warwick Killarney Uniting Church has stepped in, leading to the creation of the Southern Downs Women’s Support Centre.
This new centre will continue to provide essential services to the community under a new banner while retaining the same mission and dedication to supporting local women.
Team Leader Jo Rathmell said the transition from Protea Place to the Southern Downs Women’s Support Centre was driven by a strong community outcry and the recognition of the critical need for these services in the region.
“We had lots of community backlash to keep the doors open and to keep supporting our vulnerable women coming in,“ Ms Rathmell said.
“The Uniting Church has come and saved us to a degree, but our goal is to eventually transfer back across to being a community-run organisation.”
Uniting Church Communications leader, Sue Campbell has acknowledged the remarkable work and dedication of the staff of Protea Place (now Southern Downs Women’s Support Center), which has had a significant positive impact on the local community.
“We’re committed to continuing this legacy of care and support for women in need in our community,” Ms Campbell said.
The centre will continue offering the same vital services, including dignity services, meals, showers, laundry facilities, and support for domestic violence victims.
Case management will also remain a key component, helping women navigate the various challenges they face, from domestic violence to homelessness.
Despite the change in management, the centre’s core values and services remain intact.
“Nothing’s really changed, except we’ve broken away from Protea Place,“ Ms Rathmell said.
“We’re now the Southern Downs Women’s Support Centre, and we’re focused on serving the same community with the same dedication.”
The need for such services in Warwick is clear, as there are no other organisations in the area offering the same level of support.
“[The women] feel safe here, they feel supported, and we don’t treat anybody differently,“ Ms Rathmell said.
The centre’s strong referral pathways with organisations like the Queensland Police Service ensure that women can access the help they need when they need it most.
While the Southern Downs Women’s Support Centre is now under the auspices of the Uniting Church, there are no religious ties to the services provided.
The church’s involvement is solely to ensure the continuation of these critical services.
“The Uniting Church has just backed us to keep this open and will support us in the transition,“ Mr Rathmell clarified.
“But the centre will eventually be handed back to the community and will remain a community initiative.”
The sudden closure of Protea Place in June, announced via a Facebook post by CEO Amanda Dalton, left the staff blindsided.
“We [the staff] were completely blind to the closure happening,“ Ms Rathmell recalled.
“We were very upset because we were still in the midst of actually supporting quite a few vulnerable women in our community.“
The closure forced staff to inform women seeking help that the centre was shutting down, leaving them with no alternative services in the area.
Following a six-week closure to sort out funding, the Southern Downs Women’s Support Centre is now fully operational, with regular hours on Tuesday and Thursday from 10am to 2pm.
The staff, services, and commitment to the community remain the same.
“I am very happy that we have reopened and our support and services will go ahead and be bigger and better,“ Ms Rathmell said.
The centre is now calling on the community to continue their support, particularly through donations of food parcels and other necessities, to ensure the smooth operation of services.
In addition to reopening, the centre is planning a rebranding and a formal name announcement in the coming weeks.
An open day for stakeholders, including businesses that supported the original project, is also in the works.
“Watch this space,“ Ms Rathmell said. “We are back, and we are bigger and better than ever.”
