Agency moving to city centre

Country agency ac.care is preparing for the next exciting chapter in its history with a long-term move to Mount Gambier’s central business district that provides space for growth, evolution and greater impact to our community.

The youth and child out of home care team and corporate services staff working from ac.care’s White Avenue head office at Mount Gambier, together with Helen Street Mount Gambier Family Relationship Centre staff, will shift to 5 Percy Street, formerly occupied by Centrelink.

“It is a significant opportunity to bring areas of our organisation together under one roof to achieve efficiencies, boost collaboration both internally and with the surrounding community and enhance our services,” ac.care Board Convener Rick Fisher said.

“This is a very exciting time for ac.care as we look to increase our presence in the Limestone Coast and take further proactive steps to create a whole of community approach to create sustainable, long lasting social change,” he said.

It is a landmark development for the country agency as it continues to grow to meet community needs after forming in Mount Gambier in 1986 when a small group of local people at the Anglican church identified a gap in care for teenagers unable to live at home with their parents and employed a social worker.

“The history of ac.care is steeped in Mount Gambier and its people, so we are proud to strengthen our footprint in the region and provide the platform for our organisation to continue supporting vulnerable country South Australians well into the future,” Mr Fisher said.

“Very rarely do opportunities present themselves of this nature and we are pleased that we have been able to secure the lease on the former Centrelink building, with plans to be operating from this site in 2025.”

The new Percy Street address will also serve as the head office for the organisation, which has grown from its Mount Gambier foundations to now employ 240 staff serving communities across the Limestone Coast, Riverland, Murraylands, Adelaide Hills and Fleurieu Peninsula as a country specialist agency.

ac.care chief executive officer Shane Maddocks said the relocation would help modernise the agency and provide scope to continue to grow and evolve to meet the needs of the Limestone Coast community and beyond.

“This is a significant step forward for ac.care as we improve our Mount Gambier facilities to provide an appropriate workplace for staff to meet modern standards and better serve the people we support through combining services at a central location,” Mr Maddocks said.

“Bringing people together in the same space will create new opportunities for collaboration, connection and bring about efficiencies to bring down costs over the long-term,” he said.

“The central location of the site will also provide greater accessibility for staff and visitors, along with greater discretion for clients than the current family relationship centre location provides.”

ac.care’s Mount Gambier Community Centre, which is the base for the Limestone Coast Homelessness Service, will be unaffected by the move and continue to offer a range of services at 22-24 Ferrers Street.

The Mount Gambier Children’s Contact Service will continue to operate from the 70-72 White Avenue premises.

It is expected the move to Percy Street will create minimal disruptions for people accessing ac.care services during the transition period, with any impacts to be communicated in advance.

Visit accare.org.au or call 1300 ACCARE (1300 222 273) to learn more about how ac.care can support you or someone you know.