WASHINGTON, N.C. (WNCT) — Tucked away in Washington you’ll find the Rose Haven Center of Healing. It’s a safe space created for women veterans to work through the trauma they may have experienced while serving in the military.

“What we go through in the military is a lot different than what even the male soldiers go through. We have to contend with it being a man’s military,” said Juanita White, the commander of the Disabled Americans Veterans Chapter 48. 

“A lot of things have to go into healing right a lot of things like finding a community to be able to talk to you and feel comfortable with and for women veterans finding communities is difficult,” said Robert Sands, the CEO of Pamlico Rose Institute.

The center promotes active wellness, which is focused on nature, creative expression, human movement and building community. But the center is not stopping there. Its barn is going to be renovated thanks to a Department of Agriculture Rural Development grant. 

“We’ll get a new roof on it, we’ll repair the tin, and then we’re going to put in a woodworking area, arts and crafts area, perhaps a pottery kiln, and a great room for yoga meditation and classwork,” Sands said.

Pamlico Rose Institute and the USDA will hold a joint press event, open to the public at Rose Haven Center of Healing, on Thursday at 1 p.m.. The center is located at 219 E. Third St. in Washington. 

There will also be an open house this Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Community members are welcome to come and see what direction the center is going in.