Amid rise in demand, Belleville sexual-assault centre moves to new space
Sally Fremr (left), manager of the Sexual Assault Centre, and Elise Hineman, the executive director, in the centre’s new space on Sidney Street in downtown Belleville. Photo by Mariia Khanenko, QNet News
BELLEVILLE – The Sexual Assault Centre for Quinte and District officially reopened at 250 Sidney St., Belleville, on Thursday.
Elise Hineman, the executive director of the centre, says the new space has more natural light than the old quarters on Octavia Street, and is more welcoming.
“We’ve got a newer energy here,” Hineman said when QNet News visited the new space this week. “It kind of revitalizes our agency. So it’s kind of like a new start, but we still provide the same services we did in the old place.”
Previously, the centre had been at 41 Octavia St. for 27 years.
The new space, at the corner of Sidney and Bridge streets, used to house Nortel. It now serves as a community hub with different resources available for people seeking support or information.
The centre sees more than 300 people a year, Hineman said.
There has been an increase in recent years in the number of people coming to the centre, she said. Movements like #MeToo and #TimesUp might be a part of the reason, she added.
“We have noticed a dramatic increase in the requests. Our waiting list is quite lengthy. Some of the people who are coming in here – they’ve heard about their favourite performer or an actor coming forward … and they are inspired by it.”
The centre provides one-on-one counselling to male and female victims of sexual assault, said manager Sally Fremr. Counselling is also provided to victims’ parents and partners. The staff and volunteers who work there visit clients in the hospital if they have been hospitalized and are in need of support.
Each of the four staff counsellors at the centre has their own offices for one-on-one sessions. Photo by Mariia Khanenko, QNet News
But “we are not a medical model,” Fremr said. “We are not like a doctor’s office, which is very good for our clients,” she said, explaining that some people are not comfortable in a hospital setting and feel more open in less “official” surroundings.
The new space, which is larger than the old one, allows the centre to partner with new organizations also based at 250 Sidney, Hineman said.
“We can just walk into their office if we need to visit, or if a referral is made. In many cases, victims of sexual assault need help from other services.”
For example, if someone who comes to them is experiencing depression or has suicidal thoughts, the centre will get in touch with the local branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association or the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention. If a woman is going though domestic abuse, the centre works with Three Oaks, a Belleville women’s shelter.
Services the centre provides include a library with information and literature to read, and collaboration with a public educator who spreads information on rape culture.
The centre also runs Path of Courage – a week-long country retreat – for clients. “That is an opportunity for clients to step out of their lives for the whole week and do some intense work,” Hineman explained.
The Sexual Assault Centre can be reached at 613-967-6300 during office hours. There is also a 24/7 crisis line: 1-877-544-6424.
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