The Columbia Valley Womens’ Resource Centre is going underground in order to shed light on womens‘ issues in the valley. After securing a new location on the lower level of Frater Landing, just below Koffee Kweens (formerly the Corner Cafe) and adjacent to Interior World, the new resource centre is now open for business. A grand opening scheduled to take place on Wednesday, March 27. “We’ve created a space for women, an informal place for them to come and gather,” said Larry Rohrick, the director of program management at Invermere’s Family Resource Centre, who operate the new women’s centre. “It’s definitely not a place you have to sneak into and be ashamed of.” The new space includes computer and Internet access, and a play area for kids, though it won’t be providing any child care. It’s meant to be a place where women can access services, chat with other women while sipping on a coffee, or occasionally listen to a guest speaker. The womens’ centre is modelled after a similar location in Golden. With the space now open, the Family Resource Centre now operates from four locations in Invermere: the Columbia Valley Employment Centre, a Victim’s Services office located within Columbia Valley RCMP headquarters, a Safe Home at an undisclosed location, and the new Womens’ Resource Centre. Using Christ Church Trinity as a base, the Family Resource Centre has been offering the Women’s Outreach Work (WOW) and the Womens’ Safe Home (WISH) programs, both of which will now be based at the new centre. “We’re also in the process of getting a new safe home facility,” added Rohrick. The Family Resource Centre is the Upper Columbia Valley’s hub for 17 different community services, including Stopping The Violence Counselling for women who have been physically or sexually abused, or who are survivors of childhood abuse, as well as counselling for families and couples to deal with parenting, anger and stress management, relationships, conflict resolution, social and communication skills, divorce, separation, grief, and life skills development. In addition, the resource centre offers a family support worker service, a Victim Assistance Program, Youth Outreach, Sexual Abuse Intervention, the Children Who Witness Abuse program, Alcohol and Drug Counselling, and a resource library containing information on family development, personal growth, parenting, abuse, and assault, addiction and legal issues.