Kwik Kopy has taken a stand against mental health discrimination by awarding a franchise to a mental health service provider.
Not-for-profit group RichmondPRA took over the Surry Hills centre in August. The Sydney business will be expected to turn a profit just like every other franchise.
It is intended that about half of the company’s staff will eventually consist of people who have a mental illness, and that about a dozen such workers will be employed at the centre each year, according to Kwik Kopy.
The workers will go through a pre-employment support program and will gradually be integrated into the business.
The scheme will help them “build new social networks” and “side-step the isolation and stigmatism that often goes with mental illness”.
RichmondPRA chief executive Pam Rutledge said although Kwik Kopy head office would provide all reasonable support, Surry Hills would not receive any special treatment.
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“The financial arrangements around this franchise contract are the same as any other Kwik Kopy franchise, meaning there’s an onus on RichmondPRA to make the venture work,” said Rutledge.
“We have to turn a profit by giving customers the same high quality standards they’d expect at any other Kwik Kopy outlet. In that sense, customers won’t notice anything different about doing business at Kwik Kopy Surry Hills.”
Rutledge said the workers would become more employable by adding a respected brand like Kwik Kopy to their résumés.
“People with a mental illness are more likely to be unemployed than people with any other type of disability, a situation that often exacerbates their conditions,” she said.
“The hope is that there will be unprecedented opportunities for employees to be absorbed by the open labour market once they’ve gained skills and experience at Kwik Kopy Surry Hills.”
Rutledge said other companies might follow Kwik Kopy’s lead if the venture was successful.
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