From the Winnipeg Free Press–Instead of responding to children who’ve been abused by taking them to police stations and moving them from silo to silo for services, a plan is underway to take them to a warm, welcoming place in Assiniboine Park.
“We’re creating a space where children and families impacted by abuse can come and have all of their needs met,” Christy Dzikowicz, executive director of Toba Centre for Children and Youth, said at a news conference Tuesday to announce a $15-million “We will” capital campaign for the project.
The Toba Centre (formerly known as Snowflake Place) operates out of offices in downtown Winnipeg, with limited child-friendly space to interview fewer than 10 per cent of child abuse victims in Manitoba. The rest are interviewed at police stations or by Child and Family Services workers in the community.
To access services they need to heal, children and caregivers are required to navigate a complex system and go from place to place.
“Assiniboine Park will be home to a new centre to where police, child protection, medical care and the community supports can work together under one roof,” said Dzikowicz.
The renovation of a city-owned building at 710 Assiniboine Park Dr. has already begun with a $15-million capital campaign.