New home for service
Women’s centre in larger facility
WOMEN will no longer need to battle cockroaches, water damage and a sinking foundation to get the help they need.
The new $4.5m Townsville Women’s Centre, which will officially open next Thursday, is more than a decade in the making.
The centre will finish moving from its current home, an old Queenslander in bad shape that was too small for the centre’s growing needs, to the new fit-for-purpose centre on the corner of Nathan and Charles streets in the coming days.
Co-ordinator Cathy Crawford said the essential service would help put a dent in the “horrendous” number of sexual assault cases in the
Townsville region. The opening will come about a week after a woman was allegedly raped in a Cranbrook park. Ms Crawford said they had victim of sexual assault a
Townssviilllle Women'' Centtrre co--orrdiinattorr Catthy Crrawfforrd and Mundiingburrrra MP Corrallee O''rourrke.. Piictturre:: EVAN MORGAN coming to the service every three days and more than 60 women were waiting for counselling at the centre.
“The stats really are horrendous,” she said. “But I think the important thing we need to be talking about is two things, it’s healing and it’s responsibility.
“All members of our community need healing whether they’re offenders, whether they’re victims of sexual violence, and we need to come up with a community that heals all.”
The Townsville Women’s
Centre provides a range of services and supports to local women including domestic and family violence support services, sexual violence support services, women’s health and wellbeing, homelessness supports, counselling and support for those experiencing financial difficulties.
The team at the women’s centre has been campaigning for a new centre for more than five years, but has been looking for a new space for almost 14 years.
The Townsville Bulletin campaigned extensively to help the women’s centre find a new home.
Outgoing Mundingburra MP Coralee O’rourke helped secure funding and support for the much-needed facility.
Ms O’rourke said the centre was vital for the women of Townsville.
“To have somewhere that they can go, that they can seek support, if they’re experiencing homelessness, if they’re experiencing domestic and family violence, knowing that there are people here that will provide support and we’ll get them through and have positive outcomes on the other end is incredibly vital,” Ms O’rourke said.