Beloved cafe set to close
EMERGE founder Jen Shaw has announced the social enterprise will close its Margaret Street cafe and refocus efforts on opening a rural respite centre for at-risk teens.
The cafe, which has been running for about six years, will close on March 17.
In a letter to Emerge’s supporters, Ms Shaw said the operation had to get creative to meet the challenges young people faced.
“Since that first day, we have done whatever it takes to catch the young people who fall through the cracks … no matter how long it takes or how hard it gets,” she said.
“We have given them a safe place to land, a chance to build their skills and a workplace that welcomes them in all their messy glory.
“For a while now, Emerge has been on the cusp of our own new chapter.
“We have seen the challenges facing our young people; up close, every day and from every angle.
“For some, things are only getting tougher.”
Plans have been in place for over a year to open a respite farm at the Sunshine Coast where young people can get away from the influences leading them astray, including their peer groups, drug and alcohol issues, homelessness and domestic violence.
Ms Shaw said at-risk children were in urgent need of a circuit breaker.
“Let me paint you a picture of what this looks like, a safe haven in the Sunshine Coast where young people can come and stay with me for however long they need,” she said.
“Warm beds, beaches, rainforests and a couple of dachshunds waddling around. Time and space and healing for kids who have run out of chances and need the kind of one-on-one support that other services just can’t accommodate.
“I often talk about ‘loving kids back to life’ and this new Sunshine Coast space will give me the ability to do just that for those who really need it, whether it’s for five days or five years.”
Emerge Cafe has evolved over the years, going from a small shop to a large eatery on Railway Street and to its current home on the corner of Hume and Margaret Streets.
Like most hospitality businesses, it was hit hard by Covid and when it reached out for help it was met with widespread support.
While Emerge will close its cafe, the service will continue to have a presence in Toowoomba with its residential home and a mobile coffee truck and catering service.
“This means the kids will still get hands-on social enterprise experience and opportunities to build their skills out in the real world,” Ms Shaw said.
Unfortunately the decision will put several cafe staff out of a job, and Ms Shaw encouraged the hospitality sector to give them a go.
“If there’s anything we know about Toowoomba, it’s that people give a damn and want to lend a hand where they can,” she said
“So if you or someone you know has jobs going for some of the most resilient kids you’ll ever meet, please let us know.”