Toowoomba’s Protea Place launches new pledge campaign as demand for services increases across city

An increase in demand has prompted one of city’s only women-focused support services to launch its new pledge campaign.

At the launch of Protea Place’s latest fundraising pledge are (from left) David Russell from Wippells, Dan Dwan from Colliers International, Nicholas Purdie from Triple M, Greg Luck from HELP Employment, Amanda Tolson from Protea Place and Amanda Dalton, Protea Place CEO. Picture: Nev Madsen.

Toowoomba not-for-profit service Protea Place have supported more than 900 women with food, hygiene products and housing since the start of 2021.

Now the women-only charity is the one needing a helping hand, asking for 2000 residents to contribute regularly as part of its new Partner Pledge campaign.

CEO Amanda Dalton said the organisation, based on Russell Street, hoped to convince locals to donate $5 a week to Protea Place to ensure it could keep the doors open.

“From January through to the end of May, we had 920 women through the doors, through a variety of support and advocacy referrals,” she said.

“185 women have been supported for DV services and 286 hygiene packs were given out, and 146 were given access to laundry and shower services.

“The whole idea of the campaign is to get 2000 people to commit $5 a week, $20 a month.

“That will secure our future by making sure our operational costs are covered and we’re not having to cling to fundraising events.”

Ms Dalton said the current housing crisis displaced many women from their homes, who were now seeking support for the first time.

“Women are extremely vulnerable on the streets just by the very nature of being a woman,” she said.

“With women who have had to escape due to domestic and family violence, we have a lot of women sleeping in their cars.

“With the rental crisis, where a property has been sold or the rent has gone through the roof, that slide of sleeping in your car can be very quick.”

To help spread the word, the organisation has been given a car by Wippells Motors to act as a moving billboard for the campaign.

Principal David Russell said he was more than happy to support the service.

“We had the Protea Place luncheon up at Picnic Point about two months ago, and after that they approached us and said they needed to take this pledge program to the next level,” he said.

“We immediately came on board, after that luncheon (at Picnic Point recently) I really bought into what they’re doing in the community.”

Other corporate sponsors include Triple M, Colliers International and HELP Employment and Training.

For more information about the campaign, head to the website.