When domestic violence survivor Mel Edwards left her abusive relationship, she could not believe the additional trauma she experienced trying to get help.
"There were so many gaps where I had to try and navigate alone and try and figure things out," she said.
"There was a lot of victim blaming and there was this overall sense of 'shut up and put up, this is how it is [and] you just have to work within what is available'.
"That really stoked a fire in my belly."
Ms Edwards is part of a group working to build Australia's first Women's Trauma Recovery Centre in the Illawarra region.
A fortnight ago the project was promised $25 million in the federal budget.
In a rapid response, the team supporting the project, including the Illawarra Women's Health Centre (IWHC), victim survivors, lawyers, architects, social workers, clinical health workers, researchers and welfare advocates, held its first establishment meeting.
Ms Edwards is also studying to be a social worker and said the meeting at the University of Wollongong on Thursday filled her with hope and determination.
"Certainly, there is a sense of safety around being able to contribute and knowing that all voices at the table are heard," she said.
"I want to be able to say this space has been safe enough to me and I have the support that I need to feel strong enough to be able to say what I need to say."
Moving forward
IWHC chairwoman Judy Daunt said it was incredible to sit down with the contributors, advisors and consultants and move forward after a three-year campaign.
"We have a really clear vision, we have a set of underlying guiding principles, and we have a very clear picture of next steps.
"We've got legal advice, architectural co-design advice, our research and evidence frameworks and an ethics plan."
Ms Daunt said they were still working to secure funding for land and capital.
"We have identified a couple of options and we are now putting some really clear information for the state government."
Complex legal needs
Violet Co Legal and Consulting director and principal solicitor Karen Iles was helping to establish a governance structure for the centre.
"Women who experience trauma related to intimate partner violence are likely to experience complex legal needs," Ms Iles said.
A sexual assault survivor herself, Ms Iles said issues involving housing, tenancy, Centrelink and health could all become interlinked when trauma was at play.
"The longer that you hold onto all the administrative stuff that goes with it, the longer it takes to heal, and I have been in that position myself, so I get it."
She said the centre would provide women with an opportunity to understand all their options.
"Then they can make a choice of what they want to pursue and what justice looks like and, although justice is not the same as healing, it can go some way."
Trauma-informed design
University of Technology School of Architecture lecturer Samantha Donnelly was also part of the first meeting and is helping to develop a trauma-informed design for the centre.
She was prepared to work on redesigning an existing building or create a new build on a greenfield site.
"The building and landscape are important in helping the recovery process [by] having an outlook and giving people who are using the building a sense of safety, privacy and dignity," Ms Donnelly said.
This included understanding what "trigger points" needed to be considered while designing the building, along with the materials and spaces that would "create a sense of calm and safety".
"The building has the responsibility to deliver the knowledge that has formed the idea of a trauma centre, so it is beyond exhilarating to put it into a physical form," Ms Donnelly said.
