The Hon. Minister Sabine Winton MLA announced State Government combined funding of $4.4 million for the Ruah Centre for Women & Children.
The grant consisted of $2.9 million Lotterywest grant and $1.5 million in capital funding from the State Government and Department of Communities, taking total government investment to $8.4 million for this project.
Thanks to Minister Winton for her support, saying “spaces like the Ruah Centre for Women & Children will go a long way towards helping victim-survivors access the support they need to build a safe and stable life”.
Attended also by the Director General of the Department of Communities, Mike Rowe, Ruah’s Executive Manager of Services Elsie Blay and Ruah Board Member Sylvia Meier. Once complete, the Centre will comprise of seven stories, including two levels for short term crisis accommodation. constuction is due to be complete by 2024.
“This service has been built with the voice of lived experience, so we know what women need, and can ensure this informs what the service looks like” says our Executive Manger of Services Elsie Blay. “The demand currently, is not meeting what we have available. We want to make sure that we don’t turn any woman away from a refuge, and that there is always safety available for women and children”
Thanks to the State Government for their support of new initiatives such as the Ruah Centre for Women & Children, part of their overall commitment to respond to family and domestic violence in WA. Another important piece of the puzzle in a whole of community response to end family and domestic violence.