From the Winnipeg Free Press–
Instead of a loud, intimidating, harshly lit environment full of people wearing uniforms or hospital scrubs, traumatized kids at the Toba Centre are welcomed into a space designed to make them feel safe.
The centre, located in Assiniboine Park, helps young victims and witnesses to violence and crime as they and their families navigate their way through the frightening aftermath of a horrific event.
“We have no waiting room, we just have really lovely warm spaces and families come in and immediately go into their own little family room,” chief executive officer Christy Dzikowicz said Tuesday. “And then, really, all of the different steps of a child-abuse investigation can happen here.”
The “one-stop shop,” as Dzikowicz described it, allows kids and their families to work with law enforcement, medical professionals and other support staff in the same building.
Winnipeg North MP Kevin Lamoureux announced Tuesday that the charitable organization is getting $3 million from the federal government to upgrade the space, including new gender-neutral washrooms, a ramp for the main entrance and electrical and mechanical systems upgrades.