Rape crisis centre needs cash to sustain services

AN appeal has been launched to raise badly funds so that the Kerry Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre, in Tralee, can sustain essential services.

This year, the centre faces an operating deficit of €30,000 as funding from the Southern Health Board does not reflect inflationary pressures, or the funding of the new sexual assault unit at Tralee General Hospital, according to the centre co-ordinator Vera O’Leary.

The full range of services provided by the centre costs in the region of €200,000 per annum. Ms O’Leary said there was a particular need to ensure funding for the newly-established assault unit.

“This unit at the hospital operates on a seven-day, 24-hour a day basis, 52 weeks of the year,” she said.

“Volunteers provide the emotional support to the victims brought to this unit, which has been in operation since April last year and services all of Kerry. The development and resourcing of this unit is in addition to the current workload undertaken by the centre personnel.”

Following the initial medical, emotional and legal service/support at the unit, centre personnel are available to provide the long-term counselling.

“The centre facilitates 45 clients per week, who are survivors of sexual violence. Now in our 11th year our workload continues to increase as we support teenagers and adults, male and female survivors of sexual violence,’ Ms O’Leary went on.

Seven accredited counsellors work at the centre, and it costs in the region of €200,000 to provide our current service levels. Two people work on a full-time basis and five are part-time.

“The assault unit is, unfortunately, a necessity. The resourcing of this centre places an increasing strain on the centre finances, requiring fundraising efforts in the region of €20,000 per annum,” she said.

“This in addition to a further €10,000 required to maintain our existing services. The situation we wish to avoid is that counsellor time is spent on fundraising activities resulting in less time being spent on counselling.

“Already it is estimated that the centre personnel provide an average of 60 to 80 hours per week on a voluntary basis,” she stated.

Nine new volunteers have been trained to work as part of the assault unit. Training and supporting them costs approximately €2,000 per annum, funds which the centre does not have.