A centre for sex trade workers is now operating in the Moncton area and will provide counseling services, food, and shelter for those working in the industry.
Those running the new centre say they’re glad there’s a place of safety and refuge. The centre is open to all genders and so far, 10 to 12 women have used the facility.
“We’ve had people accessing for showers, people accessing for housing,” said Doctor Susan Crouse from Salvus Clinic.
Other women have also attended the shelter for reasons like immediate help, a professional ear to talk to, or just someone who can relate.
“Several of the people that are working there have had lived experience in the sex trade or with addictions,” said Crouse.
The centre, which had a soft opening in April, is located in the Hub city’s downtown core. Organizers have asked that the building location not be made public for security reasons.
It was a joint effort by several Moncton-based organizations to open the first centre of its kind in New Brunswick.
“It gives them an opportunity to, first of all, meet different organizations,” said Moncton Ward 2 Councilor, Charles Legere. “Some of them will possibly have help that they would otherwise not have even known they could access.”
Legere said the centre gives those in that line of work options.
“It’ll give some of the street workers maybe, an opportunity to go a different direction,” said Legere.
Crouse says those who access the shelter have several different layers worth addressing.
“It’s really like peeling back an onion,” explained Crouse. “You can do the housing, then work on the addiction, the trauma under-linking it, yeah.”
“Really, it’s offering hope,” said Legere.
The centre is open from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday to Thursday each week, and plans to stay this way throughout the summer.
The centre plans to add more staff to the permanent location so they can increase the number of hours of help they can provide to sex trade workers.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Kate Walker
