STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Seeking help from the NYPD amid what in many cases is the “most horrible” experience for a person will soon get a little easier on Staten Island.

By the end of December, the offices of the NYPD’s Special Victims Unit will include a new waiting room and two interview rooms designed to look and feel more like a cozy apartment than a police station, complete with a play center for children and multiple windows to allow for natural light.

“When (victims) come forward, they’re reporting probably the most horrible thing that’s ever happened to them, so when they do find that strength and courage to come forward, we owe it to them to make them feel safe,” said Deputy Chief Judith Harrison, commanding officer of the Special Victims Unit, during a tour Wednesday inside 130 Stuyvesant Place in St. George.

Renovations already have been completed in Brooklyn and the Bronx, with projects underway in Queens and Manhattan.

Before the construction, victims were forced to report traumatic experiences in a room where other officers might be working, and within feet of an interrogation room for suspects.

“I’ve talked to victims of sex crimes in an area where it’s loud, and they don’t have to worry about that now," said Jevet Johnson, chief of the Special Victims Bureau for the Richmond County District Attorney’s office. “They’ll be able to have a quiet space to talk to detectives.”

The new space is located in the same building as the district attorney’s office and the Staten Island Child Advocacy Center, with a civilian advocate on site to walk them through the necessary steps of filing a complaint and provide emotional support if needed.

“(Victims) need to be courageous and they need to come forward and have confidence in the system,” said Chief Assistant District Attorney Paul Capofari. “All of this -- the facilities, our police officers, the district attorneys, the victim advocates -- are important in breeding that confidence.”

Citywide, the volume of sex assault incidents classified as rape appears to be on pace to match last year’s figures, while the number of misdemeanor incidents is up 20 percent, according to Compstat figures.

In 2018, the NYPD reported a spike in complaints, which top brass attributed in part to the #MeToo movement.