Laundry’s vanguard of success
VANGUARD Laundry is improving lives one spin cycle at a time.
Managing director Luke Terry says beyond the daily work life offered to people with mental illness, the social enterprise has proven how Toowoomba is leading the way in pioneering projects.
“We started talking about it in April 2014 so it took us more than two years to get off the ground,” he said.
“When we started this project, we had a hunch, a good hypothesis, that it was a good idea.”
In 12 months of operation, the career development centre and purpose-built commercial laundry has employed 54 people, 42 of who hadn’t worked for five years or more.
A Swinburne University study funded by Vanguard Laundry community partner AMP Foundation found median fortnightly income increased by $392 for workers, with nearly 39 per cent of employees reporting
❝started When we this project, we had a hunch ... it was a good idea.
less housing affordability stress.
Employees also spent 106 less days in hospital, saving the health system $196,000.
“As a community we have been known to look at the innovation,” Mr Terry said.
“It’s a really big thing to prove - we’re really humbled by the community support.
“Ian Knox of Hallmark Properties bought the land next to us when no-one else would, and Hutchinson’s said it would build it at cost.
“The mayor said ‘we want this to happen’, and the architects that gave their time to make this ridiculous idea work - this world-class mental health program.
“Toowoomba is leading the way around mental health projects.”
— Luke Terry