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It's a purpose-built facility that brings all the supports a young abuse victim might need under one roof. And Kelowna's Child Advocacy Centre is almost ready to start taking in its first clients.
The executive director of the Kelowna Foundation, Ginny Becker took us through for a sneak peek at what the centre going to look like.
It's taken about six years for the project to get to this stage, so Becker is thrilled to see it so close to ready. "We're so excited," she said, "to be able to tell the community that by the end of next week or, early the following, we'll be finished the physical construction of the centre."
One noticeable element in the facility is how it's built using lots of natural light through skylights and windows. "The whole idea behind child advocacy," explained Becker, "is a warm friendly space for kids. Bearing in mind, these kids are in trauma when they come in so everything we've done is designed to be friendly, warm, embracing."
The centre includes a self-serve kitchen to help families make themselves at home, along with things like a medical suite so that victims don't have to go to a hospital or clinic and a place where the RCMP can do its work without asking young victims to go to the police station to give statements. There's even a space for facility dogs, that will be on hand to interact with the children and more.
The physical construction phase is expected to be completed within a few weeks, with the first services starting to take up space at the centre in the fall. The centre is expected to be fully operational by Jan 1.
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