The Friendship Center provided 8,792 services to 729 known individuals in 2024. TFC Executive Director Gina Boesdorfer highlights the reach of our services and the impact of our community's support over the past year in our latest annual report.
Though it has its seeds in earlier waves of activism, the movement that gave rise to programs like ours started in earnest about 50 years ago with what was then called the “Battered Women’s Movement.” Like most grassroots movements, this work started on a small scale—in people’s homes, with neighbors or friends trying to help others escape violence; and in communities, with activists and domestic violence survivors working together to establish safehouses and support for those wanting to leave abusive relationships. It was in that era, in a house, that The Friendship Center was founded.
We now know that interpersonal violence is not an individual problem. It’s bred by a culture that keeps it in the shadows, with impacts that are far-reaching, multigenerational, and affecting every gender.
Our activist roots continue to serve us in addressing domestic and sexual violence. Change happens when we expose what’s in the shadows, reducing the stigma and isolation for survivors of violence. Change happens when we reach young people to help them understand healthy and unhealthy relationship dynamics, and their rights in a relationship from an early age. Change happens when we believe and prioritize the safety of survivors and hold offenders accountable.
Thank you for standing with us in this collective effort this past year. With your investment and support, we were able to expand access to our services and meet client needs in new ways:
Chat or Text With an Advocate
Our website visitors can now use a chat/text function to reach an advocate between 10 AM and 3 PM on weekdays—giving those seeking our services an alternative if in-person or phone appointments are unsafe or inaccessible.
Rental Assistance Program
In 2024, with funding from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, we were able to add a rental assistance program that helps clients get established and settled in their own housing while they also receive advocacy support from our residential advocate. Housing can be one of the biggest barriers to leaving an abusive situation. Many people face homelessness when they leave, and this is only exacerbated by our affordable housing crisis. This program helps people in establishing not just housing, but also stability as they create a home they can stay in after their time in the program.
Preventing Re-Assault
We know we are most impactful when we work with our community partners to improve victim safety and criminal justice system response. In collaboration with several local agencies, including law enforcement, county and city attorney’s offices, the Office of Public Defenders, the Children’s Advocacy Center, Pre-trial Services, judges, Department of Corrections, and others, we helped implement a new risk-assessment tool last spring. Known as APRAIS (Arizona intimate Partner Risk Assessment Instrument System), the tool measures a perpetrator’s likelihood to commit a severe re-assault within seven months resulting in serious injury or death to their victim.
This evidence-based tool is intended to support broad community efforts to respond to intimate partner violence. In addition to aiding decision-making in the criminal justice process, assessment tools like APRAIS can help survivors understand the risks of their situation and take safety precautions. They can also be eye-opening for the public, helping us all recognize the high-risk signs of abuse affecting us or somebody we know.
Hello, Operator
Our crisis line provides 24/7 support for victims and family members in crisis. Other than calling 911, our crisis line is the only place a person can call for immediate services when they experience interpersonal violence. While we’ve historically staffed our crisis line with volunteers, that became an unviable option as we struggled to cover shifts since the COVID-19 pandemic. To ensure this vital service remains available to our community, we hired Crisis Line Advocates this fall to answer calls on weekends and holidays. Restructuring our crisis line puts us in the best position to continue this service without overburdening staff.
Expanded Educational Offerings
We have expanded our education program this past year to provide training for EMTs and other first responders as well as members of the faith community. Often on the front lines and seen as trusted experts, both these groups are in a unique position to identify domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking (DVSAS) and connect patients and parishioners with resources. Our trainings help participants understand the dynamics of DVSAS, how to support those experiencing violence, and resources that are available in their community.
Funding Realities
In light of recent threats to federal funding that would affect us and many of our partners, our collective resources have become more unstable. About 70% of our funding comes from federal programs. As much as we have worked to diversify our revenue streams in recent years, we have found that there are few private foundations interested in supporting community-based DVSAS programs. The demand for our services is such that turning down federal funding would come at great cost to the people who rely on our often life-saving support. The Friendship Center is a reflection of our community: We exist because of both the need in our community and the generosity we receive from it. Your support is one of our biggest strengths, a bright light, and it’s now more important than ever.
While the challenges of running an agency like this are great, the grounding force is and always will be the strength of our clients that we have the privilege of witnessing day in and day out. We are also buoyed by the abundance of support we receive from the community.
We will continue to work in the spirit that originated our movement as we provide safety and refuge for anyone experiencing domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking. Violence does not discriminate and neither will we. Thank you for standing with us in that conviction.
In solidarity,
Gina Boesdorfer
Executive Director The Friendship Center
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