Image credit: Anthony Corea/CFJC Today

By Marty Hastings

KSACC CAPITAL CAMPAIGN

Plans for Sexual Assault Service Hub include rooms for police interviews, forensic medical exams

Dec 4, 2024 | 7:00 PM

KAMLOOPS — Kamloops Sexual Assault Counselling Centre agency co-ordinator Alix Dolson said plans for the Sexual Assault Service Hub have potential to improve care for survivors.

“Right now, if someone experiences sexual assault in Kamloops or surrounding communities, if they want to make a report to the police, they need to do that at the police detachment,” Dolson said. “If they want to access a forensic medical exam — or what people might know as a rape kit — they need to do that through the emergency department at Royal Inland Hospital.

“And while our colleagues in policing and health care do incredible work with very limited resources, those are not great places to be for someone who recently experienced a trauma.”

Plans for the hub include rooms for RCMP interviews and Interior Health forensic medical exams, along with space to store exam kits for up to one year.

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KSACC has moved to 694 Seymour St., purchasing a venerable edifice – with the help of $900,000 of provincial funding – that needs renovations to improve accessibility.

The centre held an open house on Tuesday (Dec. 4) to launch a $2.5-million capital campaign, aiming to raise money for renovations, interview and exam rooms, furnishings, the building purchase and a contingency fund.

“The purchase of this place and the renovation, it is a game changer,” said Chloe Barton, president of the KSACC board of directors.

“This is a space that’s welcoming and inclusive. It has that home feel. You can really feel that sense of community and neighbourhood when you come through our doors. It’s not necessarily as grim as some people would think that it is for the types of services we’re offering.”

Barton said KSACC will benefit from ownership and a fixed-rate mortgage, with more leverage to secure fundraising. She noted rent increases and the instability of leasing were threats to coffers.

KSACC was outgrowing its former property on First Avenue across from city hall and did not have the room necessary to offer the co-located medical, policing and support services planned for the new Hub, said Dolson, noting the centre is a trauma-informed, culturally safe location

Tours at the open house offered a look at ample space for counselling rooms, leisure and hospitality, with Kamloops city councillor Katie Neustaeter among the crowd.

“Most people can’t imagine what it’s like to go through an event this traumatic, whether that is in childhood or as an adult,” said Neustaeter, speaking to CFJC Today in the playroom for kids’ counselling.

“Having a consolidated space that is safe to come into that has all access services that can plug into continual care is invaluable for people in their darkest and most desperate moments. This is something that is tremendously unique. Not all communities have something like this.”

Dolson said the expected completion date is dependent on fundraising, but the goal is to have the hub operational before the end of 2025.

Reach out to KSSAC for information on sponsorship packages.