It's been three years in the making, but a new collaborative program to help abused youth is heading into its first year of development.
Windsor-Essex Child and Youth Advocacy Centre completed a pilot project in 2017 designed to support kids under 18 years old report and deal with trauma from abuse and it is done all under one roof.
Executive Director Michelle Oake tells AM800 News, the centre provides a welcoming space for those who need help and might be intimidated by a police station or a courthouse.
"Children can go and talk about the abuse that they've endured. When I say it's a safe child friendly environment, it's not a place like the police station," she says.
She says having everyone in the room lifts a huge burden on the victim and their family, "because these families have been traumatized and there's no need to send them around the community to be re-interviewed and re-traumatized again."
Oake says the centre has a letter of understanding with police and social services to ensure everyone can work together to make the process as seamless as possible.
Staff have been working out of Windsor Regional Hospital, but will be moving to a space at St. Clair College's Toldo Centre for Health Sciences in the coming months.
--With files from AM800's Rob Hindi