Beira’s Place is not a shelter or a drop-in. Rather, women will come, their needs will be assessed and then the appropriate therapy and help will be found for them. For free.
“The first stage is about ensuring safety. Somebody has to feel safe here in this room. Because if they don't feel safe, they're never going to be in a good place to start disclosing the trauma and working through it. And that’s the healing process. Sex-based crime in Scotland has been rising since 1974.
Jo Rowling talks of answering unmet needs “As a survivor of sexual assault myself, I know how important it is that survivors have the option of women-centred and women-delivered care at such a vulnerable time.”
There are clearly so many unmet needs – waiting lists are huge for rape crisis centres all over the UK. Lack of funding is a key issue.
What Rowling has done here is astonishing. She has not only bought the building but is funding the entire service. This is not a charity. It does not depend on the whims of whoever is in power. While Rowling is covering the core costs, if people want to support it, they possibly could do so in future by donating towards extras such as service users’ travel or childcare expenses.
Right now, though, that is not the priority. The story is simply this: they are increasing capacity when and where it is really needed. They are offering a choice. Beira’s Place is offering no “re-education”. It is completely non-judgmental.