Donations help Flagstaff center remain safe haven

In Arizona, where a 2017 CDC study says an estimated 40% of people have experienced domestic violence, Flagstaff ’s Northland Family Help Center has been an unwavering beacon of hope for survivors in northern Arizona for nearly 45 years.

What originally began as a crisis nursery and then a women’s shelter is now the area’s only trauma-informed gender-inclusive emergency shelter.

The services that the organization offers have also continued to expand to six programs, including a youth shelter, onsite counseling, legal advocacy and case management, as well as housing support, said the center’s executive director, Shaleen Seward.

Season for Sharing helped raise $7,500 for the center last year and, in total, $1.8 million for 164 nonprofits. Season for Sharing also awarded grants to other domestic violence and youth shelter resources, including:

● $30,000 to A New Leaf to provide crisis intervention, safe shelters, basic needs and support services for more than 17,000 survivors of domestic violence, human trafficking and sexual assault across the Valley.

● $7,500 to BLOOM365’s project to increase the safety and healing of 500plus Maricopa County teen victims of abuse and violence through virtual (text/chat/video) counseling and peer support programs.

●$25,000 to the Chrysalis Shelter to help more than 1,100 individuals impacted by domestic abuse with adult and child counseling, children’s services, emergency shelter, transitional housing, offender treatment, victim advocacy and community education.

● $7,500 to the Colorado River Regional Crisis Services to provide shelter and services for survivors of domestic abuse in La Paz County.

● $25,000 to the Fresh Start Women’s Foundation to provide social work support and career and education

advancement services for 850 survivors of domestic violence in Maricopa County.

In 2017, the Northland Family Help Center began housing the Flagstaff Initiative Against Trafficking, which was founded by the center’s own director of human trafficking services.

“Our shelter is called a domestic violence shelter, but we serve victims of human trafficking, sexual assault, child abuse, family abuse,” Seward said.

Northland Family Help Center is one of many Arizona nonprofits that work with domestic violence survivors who have a boost this year from The Arizona Republic’s Season for Sharing campaign. The Northland Family Help Center received a $7,500 grant to maintain and enhance its emergency shelter services.

The center currently has 24 emergency shelter beds that are almost always full and ultimately serve between 80 and 90 people per year, Seward said.

While the number of calls to the center’s hotline remained relatively steady at about 3,000 per year throughout the pandemic, there was a noticeable drop in the amount of youth being referred for services.

“Kids weren’t going to school, they weren’t involved in sports, they didn’t have safe reporting or adults weren’t recognizing this kid might need help,” Seward said.

Now that things are returning to normal and kids and teenagers are spending more time outside of the home, she said, those referrals are starting to come back. In a typical year, the youth shelter serves between 60 and 80 kids.

Youth homelessness has been on the rise in recent years.

During the 2020 annual point-intime count, volunteers in Maricopa County found 530 people between the ages of 18 and 24 experiencing homelessness.

The count wasn’t conducted in 2021 because of COVID-19 concerns, but when it returned in 2022, organizers found that 749 young people were homeless, a 41% increase from two years prior.

In working with homeless youth, the organization has found that often, a lack of education about available resources is the best place to start. As a result, the center has bolstered its community education programs in local middle and high schools and expanded outreach to youth populations they might not otherwise reach.

“It’s important for youth to understand that they have safe support and, even if it’s not for them, it could be for their friend,” Seward said.

Because of the organization’s structure and history in the community, they have been able to consolidate and centralize many crucial services and resources. No one organization can meet every need, Seward said.

That’s why maintaining a close relationship with the rest of the small-butmighty network of resources in the region is crucial, she said.

One of the biggest obstacles facing those in Flagstaff is an affordable housing crisis that has made some emergency housing waitlists stretch as long as eight months. As an emergency shelter, Northland residents can only stay for up to 120 days. In the past, that’s been plenty of time to connect someone with housing. It still can be, Seward said, but they have to get started right away.

As a result, Northland has been working with other providers, like transitional housing provider Sharon Manor, who can help people take the next few steps in the process without becoming homeless.

“We all kind of fill our different roles to meet the need,” Seward said.

How to donate to Season for Sharing

With the help of Republic readers, Season for Sharing has raised and given away almost $72 million to Arizona nonprofits since 1993.

Ways to give

● Fill out the secure, online form at sharing.azcentral.com.

● Text “SHARING” to 91-999 and click on the link in the text message.

● Go online at facebook.com/seasonforsharing and look for the “DONATE HERE” post.

● Clip the coupon on Page 4A of The Arizona Republic, fill it out and mail it to P.O. Box 29250, Phoenix, AZ 850389250.

● Make a donation when you buy tickets to Las Noches de las Luminarias at Desert Botanical Garden. dbg.org.

● Scan the QR code with your smartphone camera, then click on the link to donate.

Where does the money go?

When you give to Season for Sharing, you are helping nonprofits that support education, feed the hungry and help struggling families and older adults. The Republic pays all administrative costs, so 100% of donations go back to the community.

Contact northern Arizona reporter Lacey Latch at llatch@gannett.com or on social media @laceylatch. Coverage of northern Arizona on azcentral.com and in The Arizona Republic is funded by the nonprofit Report for America and a grant from the Vitalyst Health Foundation in association with The Arizona Republic.