Arizona Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence Faces Closure of Centralized Survivor Support Program

PHOENIX — A centralized lifeline for domestic violence survivors in Maricopa County is set to shut down on May 15 due to a lack of funding, according to the Arizona Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence.

The SafeDVS hotline, which has operated as a centralized referral system for domestic violence shelters in Maricopa County for approximately 15 years, will transition to a pre-recorded message directing callers to contact individual shelters directly for assistance.

Leaders at the Arizona Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence confirmed the closure, attributing it to the expiration of federal pandemic relief dollars that previously covered about 40% of the program’s funding.

Jenna Panas, Chief Executive Officer of the Arizona Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence, stated that the expiration of federal American Rescue Plan Act funding, combined with utilization data, made the current service model unsustainable.

Kathy Dinolfi, chief program officer at A New Leaf, a nonprofit that supports domestic violence survivors, emphasized the impact of the change, noting that survivors will now need to call multiple shelters individually to find available space and appropriate resources.

“As they’re trying to work up the courage to, and are safe enough to make that phone call, and then to not have it available, and then they have to make maybe three to five more calls,” Dinolfi said. “It’s very disconcerting.”

The waitlist for the SafeDVS hotline was capped at 200 people on April 15, with officials stating the goal is to place those individuals before the shutdown takes effect on May 15.

A New Leaf previously operated the hotline before responsibility was transferred to the Arizona Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence in recent years.

The closure has raised concerns among Valley advocates, who fear that survivors may become discouraged from seeking help or believe services are no longer available due to the increased difficulty in accessing support.

According to the Arizona Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence, the pre-recorded message that will replace live operator service will direct individuals to local shelter services.