Surrey Women's Centre is hosting an open house on May 13 for a "sneak peek of Surrey's first Sexual Assault Centre."
The centre's director of sexual assault services, Samantha Grey, said staff will be available to answer any questions and give a tour of the space.
The centre will also be launching at the open house a "survivor-created zine, 'R&R: Resistance and Resilience,'" Grey said. "This resource is a collection of art, poems and stories, all created by survivors, for survivors. This printed and digital resource will be available to all survivors who access services and serves as an opportunity for survivors to hear from other survivors about their experiences."
The open house will take place from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at 10070 King George Blvd.
"This centre is more than a building — it’s a refuge, a resource, and a place where survivors are seen, heard, and supported. Whether you're a survivor, ally, advocate, or community member, we welcome you," reads a post on Instagram about the event.
Shahnaz Rahman, executive director at Surrey Women’s Centre, said, "Survivors of sexual assault continue to receive our specialized services through our centre; however, these services will further be enhanced with our new model through the one-stop sexual assault centre."
The centre was impacted when the province cut funding to sexual assault centres, rape crisis lines and women’s centres in the early 2000s, Shahnaz Rahman, executive director at Surrey Women’s Centre, said in a previous interview with the Surrey Now-Leader.
In October 2023, the province announced it was restoring funding to the Surrey Women’s Centre and four other centres that support survivors of sexual assault.
"While the centre is scheduled to officially open in November 2025, we have already made substantial progress in 2023-2024 through collaboration with our existing partners, Fraser Health and Surrey RCMP," RJ Lundquist, president at Surrey Women's Centre, said in the 2024 annual report.
Surrey Women’s Centre is a women’s crisis centre in Surrey that works with in “collaboration with the medical and justice communities for the safety and care of women and children escaping violence.” reads a post on its website.
