Why Archie, why supported employment?

We bought a little plant-based café in Carseldine called Archie AMPM, and we’re building it into a supported employment workplace where disabled people can work for standard industry rates. No loopholes. No “special” wages that leave people stuck on pocket money. Just real jobs, fair pay, and the right support to make it stick.

 

We’re open and serving good vegan food to the local community. We’re also getting the space ready for the next step, because our vision is bigger than coffee and a toastie. We want Archie to be a place where people can learn, earn, and feel proud to be part of a team.

 

A couple of years ago we started asking around about Australian Disability Enterprises, or ADEs. We talked with participants, families and workers. What we heard shocked us. People told us about disabled workers being paid under ten dollars an hour after an assessor decided they could only earn a small percentage of the award. Others described providers taking big chunks of a participant’s NDIS funding - with 100% of the support workers wage coming from NDIS funding while only a small portion of the staff member's time was spent providing support (and the rest doing tasks not related to the participant)

 

None of that sits right with us. People deserve real wages for real work, and NDIS funding should support the worker to succeed at their job, not subsidise a business model.

Back in 2022, before Meliora became a charity, we were already employing disabled workers in our house and yard maintenance team. We kept it simple. Everyone was paid at least the award wage. A support worker came on shift to help the employee learn tasks, pace the work, and stay safe. We initially tracked how much of the support worker’s time was spent directly supporting the employee, and how much was spent “on the tools” doing the job for the customer.

 

The ratio of time directly supporting the employee was billed to the participant’s plan - for instance all of it (billed at 1:1 ratio), or half the time (billed at 1:2 ratio). The rest was billed to the yard maintenance client like any standard service. It worked and continues to work. People were part of a team, treated as peers, and took home a living wage.

We had been dreaming about a café in Kingaroy where supported employment could thrive, but the timing never lined up. Instead, our friends at Archie AMPM on Brisbane’s North Side decided to sell. Mel, the creative force in the Archie kitchen with lived experience in her family, chose to move into support work and joined Meliora alongside independent work. The idea was obvious. Could we reimagine Archie as a supported employment environment?

 

We said yes straight away. After a few months of back and forth we reached a deal that worked for everyone, including Mel staying on as café manager so the food stays excellent and the training stays practical.

We scrubbed the place, refreshed the exterior for Stage 1, tested a new menu, rebuilt the kitchen processes, and documented everything. Archie is a small space, so to open the door to more people with different access needs we are planning an internal makeover and fit-out. That is why we are sequencing things. We are open to the public, and we are getting the space and systems right before we hire a broader range of disabled workers into the café floor and kitchen.

 

At the same time we are systemising the menu and the back-of-house steps so tasks can be learned in clear stages. The goal is a workplace that works for different learning styles, communication needs and energy levels. When the fit-out is done we will roll out supported roles in a way that is safe, steady and sustainable.

At Archie, if you are rostered on, you are supported the whole time. Support is built around the person and the role, with the ratio adjusted to fit, over time.

 

That might start as 1:1 depending on your functional capacity, and dealing with a new environment and tasks. Then we will aim to step toward 1:2 or 1:3 as skills, speed and confidence grow. The aim is steady progress, with support fading in a planned way so some people move to light check ins, and others may eventually work without support if that is safe and right for them.

 

Everyone is paid at least standard industry wages for the hours they work. We only claim the support that is actually provided during the shift, at the agreed ratio. The focus is clear training, skill building and confidence, and the pride that comes with a fair day’s pay.

We have opened expressions of interest for disabled people who want to work at Archie. There will be training, real shifts, and chances to grow into different roles, including apprenticeships for people who want a career in hospitality. Some people will use Archie as a launch pad to other venues. Others may choose to stay long term. Both are wins.

 

We are also building the documentation so this model can be copied. If it works here, we want to bring it to the South Burnett and, in time, other communities that need inclusive jobs, not just promises.

Supported employment should not mean second-class wages or using someone’s NDIS funding to prop up a business. It should mean fair pay, the right support at the right times, and a workplace that treats you as a colleague. That is what we are building at Archie.

 

If you would like to work with us, learn more about the roles, or partner on the next stage of the fit-out, get in touch. Come by for a meal, say hello, and watch this space. Stage two is coming.

 

Check out our first menu!!!!!