Nelson Women’s Centre needs help

Many of you will know by now that I volunteer at the Nelson Women’s Centre. We’re a drop-in safe space which offers social worker support, counselling services, and access to information and community services. Like most community organisations, we’re struggling to make ends meet. So I’m asking for help

My role at the Centre is two-fold. I started out providing communications advice and support – writing, media, that sort of the thing. But the more time I spent at the Centre, the more I wanted to do. So I’m now also on the Governance Collective.

The Centre is a unique place. It’s set up in a house we own. It’s a welcoming, inclusive, intersectional safe space. It’s a drop-in centre where women can access social workers and counsellors, get information, connect with other women and other community organisations, attend workshops, or just hang out. A lot of people get us confused with Women’s Refuge, and we do provide support for domestic violence situations, but you don’t have to be in any sort of crisis to come to us. In fact, we want to work preventatively.

I love being part of the Collective. It’s seriously awesome working with a bunch of women who are committed to shared feminist goals. There’s only one thing that upsets me: the lack of resources. I mean this in terms of my own energy and health – I want to do so much more than I’m capable of – and in terms of finances.

It’s a really tough time to be a community organisation. We’re all relying on dwindling government funds, trusts, philanthropy, and the goodwill of the public. There’s only so much you can ask for.

But I’m asking now. We’ve expanded the Centre’s floor space by putting in a cabin in our back yard. The cabin – which we call the Counselling Cottage, though it will be used for a number of services – was built for us by volunteers from the Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology. Most of the materials have been donated.

Counsellingcottage

Counselling Cottage on the right

Counsellingindoors

Threadbare carpet inside

The Cottage was necessary because there’s increasing demand for counselling services. We have one room inside the house which is shared by five volunteer counsellors, and two social workers.

We need help to finish the Cottage, and to upgrade the existing room. We’re alllmost there, but there’s been hurdles with consents and a few other items that pushed our budget out.

We’ve got a Givealittle running right now: https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/nelsonwomenscentreextension

If you can help *at all*, it will be very, very much appreciated by us and the women who use our services.

All I can hope is that we get somewhere close to the goal.

Thank you for your support.

womenscentreoutside

Nelson Women’s Centre

7 Replies to “Nelson Women’s Centre needs help”

  1. Gabby Trill

    the best part of this article is how little whining about your made up disease and self created problems you do in it

    though of course you still don’t quite manage it

    better luck next time

    Reply
  2. Chelle

    Considering the first page of google is full of medical basrd websites describing this “made up disease”, your disbelief denies a whole lot of medical evidence. If you need some help googling to see just how “made up” this disease is, here’s Mayo Clinic for you
    http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/ankylosing-spondylitis/basics/definition/con-20019766

    Better luck next time not attacking someone who is raising awareneess to help women. Or even better, not attacking at all.

    Reply
  3. Gabby Trill

    pretty neat you can’t write an article trying to get support for a worthy cause without complaining about how you are poor sick mentally ill and tired

    because you know it needs to be all about you and scaring up more patreon money and internet sympathy

    have a great day

    Reply
  4. Elle

    No one is forcing you to read this blog Gabby, how about you find something else to do that doesn’t bother you so much that you need to comment repeatedly to express your distaste. There’s a whole internet out there.

    Reply

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