The woman behind a Christian rehabilitation centre for child sex offenders has called on locals in a small Tasmanian town to be forgiving as tensions simmer over the facility.

Former teacher Elizabeth Coleman, 90, has dedicated her retirement to helping ex-prisoners, most of them sex offenders, through the Christian faith support network, The Freedom Centre.

The Centre caused an uproar in the Derwent Valley town of Ellendale in March, when it bought a house for two elderly, former sex offenders to live in.

The house was attacked with rocks and tomatoes and the owners of the town's only post office refused to serve the men.

"I think they are so afraid of what they're supposed to have done or have done and they can't think past that," Ms Coleman told Lateline.

"We all need to realise there are many offenders running around the community who've done things probably worse than some of the men who've come out of prison."

Elizabeth Coleman, 90, helped found The Freedom Centre. ( ABC Lateline )

Ms Coleman said the focus should be on the future.

"It doesn't really matter what happened way back if that person is now a new person and that's what the community needs to be able to realise," she said.

A chance meeting in 2006 with a man who had just been released from prison prompted Ms Coleman to start helping former prisoners.

The great grandmother and 2015 Senior Tasmanian of the Year finalist has since helped more than 20 sex offenders change their ways.

"The fact that these men were sex offenders is just a coincidence," she said.

"When we began our work, they were the only people the prison actually made available to us simply I think because no-one else would have them."

Craig and Murvin say their faith is helping them rehabilitate. ( ABC Lateline )

Craig (not his real name) was released from prison one month ago after serving two years in prison for producing child pornography.

He said with guidance from the centre and his new found faith he will pose no risk to the community.

"You just have to have faith, if you don't have faith it would be easy to go back down that path of crime and have those feelings," he said.

"Now, I feel that none of those feelings inhabit my mind."

The Freedom Centre has also been helping Murvin, who only weeks ago finished his four-year probation.

Murvin served three years in prison for sexually abusing two children.

"I feel very sorry and disgusted and upset with what had happened," he said.

He was adamant convicted sex offenders can change and said he believed his recovery from substance abuse and has stopped him from returning to his crimes.

"That's all a no-no now with me and I feel good about it. And with the willpower I'm sticking to it," he said.