After nearly a decade of planning and collaboration, the Pima Family Advocacy Center officially celebrated its opening to the public last Friday, marking a significant shift in how Pima County supports survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking and elder abuse.
The center, located at 2530 E. Broadway Blvd., aims to eliminate the navigational hardships that survivors often face when seeking help.
Instead of traveling to multiple locations for legal aid, law enforcement interviews and healthcare, survivors can now access these services under a single roof, according to Kaitlyn Norris, the center’s program director.
"What if you could go to one place and get all of those services? So, that's what we're trying to do here,” Norris said.
Vision was 8 years in the making
The grand opening is the culmination of an eight-year journey led by a multidisciplinary board of advocates, law enforcement and healthcare professionals.
According to Norris, the project was made possible through a federal grant that allowed the nonprofit to secure its current space and finalize formal agreements with partner agencies.
While Pima County has long had a children’s advocacy center, this is the first facility in the region to offer this specific "one-stop" model for adults and families, Norris said.
The model is inspired by similar centers in Maricopa County and the national Alliance for Hope framework.
The complexity of the project stemmed from the need to align funding, physical space and the diverse policies of multiple agencies
Executive Director Joseph Ricks began championing the idea while working as a lawyer in the Pima County Attorney’s Office.
He spent years building a multidisciplinary board that included representatives from victim advocacy, prosecution, defense, government and healthcare.
“Finding that ideal space, finding the funding for that and really trying to hone our vision and hammering out what that will look like... it’s just a matter of all of these things coming together at the same time,” Norris said.
The project finally took off after securing a federal grant, which allowed the nonprofit to secure the Broadway location and finalize formal agreements with its various partner agencies.
Though PFAC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, it operates as a collaborative hub where staff from different organizations work side-by-side.
“The Pima Family Advocacy Center represents what is possible when a community comes together with a shared commitment to putting survivors first,” Ricks said.
Partner organizations include:
- Arizona Child and Adolescent Survivor Initiative
- Children's Advocacy Center of Southern Arizona
- Defenders of Children
- Palo Santo Psychotherapy and Wellness
- Pima County Attorney Victim Services
- Pima County Sheriff's Department
- Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation
- Tucson Police Department
The center’s soft launch was in June, and has already received a steady stream of referrals from community partners and word-of-mouth recommendations, Norris said.
Norris, who transitioned from the public health sector, said that the facility is designed to return power to the survivors.
One of the most frequent conversations she has with the community involves reframing why survivors might remain in abusive situations.
“We hear a lot, 'Why didn’t she leave? Why did she stay?' but we never ask why the abuser chose to do what they did,” Norris said.
She pointed to factors like finances, children and coercive control as "mitigating circumstances" rather than simple choices. At the center, advocates work at the client’s pace, even if they aren't ready to file for an order of protection.
The grand opening on Friday also served as a kickoff for the center's next phase: a fundraising campaign to establish an on-site medical forensic suite.
Most forensic examinations for rape kits must be performed in traditional hospital settings, which can be intimidating or re-traumatizing for survivors, Norris said.
This addition would allow survivors to receive forensic examinations in a private, trauma-informed environment rather than a traditional hospital setting.
“I don’t think it can be understated the importance of making sure that we have those services available... so they don’t keep going back to that relationship or that they have the power that they need to be able to leave that relationship,” Ricks said.
For those currently experiencing domestic violence, Norris encourages reaching out to a "safe person," whether it is a neighbor, a local agency or the National Domestic Violence Hotline.
“Do what feels right for you to seek safety,” Norris said. “You know, you are the expert of your own life.”
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, help is available locally or through the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233.
