Seventh-day Adventists are establishing a network of sexual abuse and domestic violence counselors funded by profits from thrift shops.

The church’s Adventist Development and Relief Agency is providing grants of $5,000 for individuals to establish one of these shops in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Perth. The four counselors, who will work from church community centers, will offer their services free of charge to those who are impoverished and at reduced rates to others.

Sixteen shops are already operating, “but these fund our existing network of community centers and refuges,” reports ADRA Australia’s domestic program director Gary Christian. “Several of the shops generate funding of up to $A70,000 each year.”

The church’s family ministries department will supervise quality control of the service, while the church’s office of support for victims of sexual abuse and misconduct will offer additional training for the counselors. “The message we want victims of sexual abuse or misconduct to understand is that the church is not walking away from their personal trauma and injustice,” says Christian.

ADRA helps more than 19 million people in 120 countries each year. It receives accreditation from the Australian Agency for International Development and with the Australia Council for Overseas Aid.