Although the role as centre manager at Minnawarra House is new to her, Sammy Fowler said Armadale has always been her home.
“As far as what my childhood was like, I grew up on Railway Ave, so this place has always been home,” she said.
“I learned how to ride my bike at the back of this facility.
“The communities that we serve here, they’re my friends, they’re my relatives, they’re my people down the street that I knew as a kid.”
Ms Fowler said she was bringing a varied work history to her new role with her experience in disability employment services, the Department of Justice as well as volunteering at community services in Gosnells.
Through her experience in disability employment services, she said Armadale’s bad reputation was a misconception.
“The reality was, that site was one of the most vibrant and one of the most fun sites that we had because of the community.”
She said the House was undergoing its glow-up phase and bringing new clientele for counselling services was her primary goal.
“The association and the building itself are tired and worn and it’s an exciting time for the House because we’re moving towards the revitalisation of all of our programs, bringing on new service providers and bringing other organisations into the House as well,” Ms Fowler said.
She said she became interested in the position because she saw an opportunity for Minnawarra House to serve the community better and in new ways.
Seven weeks into her new role, Ms Fowler said she was going through an exploration phase to understand how the programs operated and what kind of gaps there were in the House’s service delivery.
“That exploratory phase has been illuminating,” she said.
“The more we can integrate our services in the community and the less people have to come to the House, the better our service actually is.”
Considering all the new things Ms Fowler’s learned and having grown up in the area, she said she was surprised by how underutilised the House’s services were.
“The community doesn’t know what we do,” she said.
“The community thinks that we do arts and craft activities only but that’s not actually our core focus and core reason for being here.
“The core reason is to provide counselling support to young people and their families.
“I just need people to know that the service exists and the door is open.”
Ms Fowler said she hoped to bring life back to the House.
“The conversations that we’re having are changing and the community perception of who the house is, is changing.
“I’d love for the house to feel alive again and it’d be a buzz – there’d be noise in the afternoon because kids are swinging off the chandeliers and to hear music and laughter and engagement in our day programs.
“I just want for people to feel like it’s the community space that it was always meant to be.”
