Sojourner Center
Transforming Lives
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Sojourner Center’s mission is to overcome the impact of domestic violence, one life at a time. Sojourner Center has been offering safe shelter and critical services to survivors living in Maricopa County since 1977. The organization is one of the largest, longest running domestic violence shelters in Arizona and the U.S., serving victims of domestic violence, human trafficking, and sexual assault. Sojourner Center works to eliminate barriers by providing comprehensive services through residential and community based programs. Having residential programs with wide-ranging services including case management, an on-site childcare center, pet companion services, and nutrition/food services is crucial for providing a safe and supportive environment for individuals and families in crisis. These services can help to ease the burden of displacement and ensure that basic needs are met, allowing individuals to focus on rebuilding their lives.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Crisis Shelter
Crisis shelter for 120 days, case management, comprehensive support services that include on-site medical care, behavioral health, child development, and youth services.
Transitional Housing
Women, children and their pets may stay for up to 2 years in one of our 32 transitional housing apartments. Sojourner Center offers support for survivors that need more time to rebuild their lives after experiencing domestic violence. Survivors in transitional housing can continue to receive case management and support services.
Child Development Center
Children impacted by domestic violence may receive care in our 4 Star Quality First, AZ Department of Health Services-licensed and NECPA accredited Child Development Center, which implements the Reggio Emilia approach to learning.
Pet Companion Shelter
Our innovative program offers shelter and care for residents’ pets, so those fleeing domestic violence can bring their families’ beloved animals with them.
Lay Legal Advocacy
Our Lay Legal Advocates offer support for individuals who have experienced domestic violence with navigating the court system, preparing for court appearances, and accessing court-based resources.
Community Outreach Program
Case management and supportive services for individuals and families in the community who have been impacted by domestic violence, as well as awareness and education activities about domestic violence and human trafficking.
Human Trafficking Services
All residential and community-based programs and services are available to individuals and families impacted by human trafficking, with case management and support tailored to their unique needs.
Where we work
External reviews
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Evaluation documents
Download evaluation reportsNumber of clients who report general satisfaction with their services
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
2019: 88% expressed satisfaction
Number of clients served
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults, Children and youth
Type of Metric
Context - describing the issue we work on
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Number of first-time donors
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Other - describing something else
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Number of volunteers
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults, Children and youth
Related Program
Crisis Shelter
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Sojourner Center offers opportunities for individuals, companies, churches, civic groups, students, schools, families and friends to help give domestic violence survivors control over their lives.
Hours of volunteer service
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults
Related Program
Community Outreach Program
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Number of people on the organization's email list
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Hours of legal assistance offered
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Lay Legal Advocacy
Type of Metric
Context - describing the issue we work on
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Number of clients assisted with legal needs
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Lay Legal Advocacy
Type of Metric
Context - describing the issue we work on
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Number of donors retained
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Other - describing something else
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of overall donors
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Other - describing something else
Direction of Success
Increasing
Average number of dollars given by new donors
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Other - describing something else
Direction of Success
Increasing
Average number of dollars received per donor
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Other - describing something else
Direction of Success
Increasing
Average online donation
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Other - describing something else
Direction of Success
Increasing
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
To achieve Sojourner Center's vision of a world free from domestic violence, shelter alone is not enough. New, comprehensive services are needed to prevent domestic violence as well as to provide more effective treatment for women, families and disenfranchised communities.
Since domestic violence's ripple effect is widespread, touching everyone in every community, Sojourner Center works closely with its partners to bring greater awareness to the issue and change how domestic violence is perceived. The organization aims to change cultural practices that treat domestic violence as a “private matter" by sparking a national conversation focused on solutions. Furthermore, Sojourner Center recognizes that domestic violence takes many forms, including human trafficking, and requires a multi-disciplinary approach across social services, public health providers, philanthropies, government and academia.
For these reasons, Sojourner Center is committed to strengthening its core programs and services for women, while expanding its care continuum to not only treat but also end the cycle of domestic violence.
To guide the expansion of services, Sojourner Center Chief Executive Officer Dr. Maria E. Garay-Serratos, MSW, PhD, led a six-month planning process that resulted in a Five-Year Strategic Plan.
The Circle of Care/Transformation Program comprises a robust, multidisciplinary approach designed to involve all sectors of society in preventing domestic violence. Three target areas are:
• A broader range of direct services, including services to children, mental health services, screening for traumatic brain injuries and services to marginalized populations.
• Expanding prevention and education in the community and in the shelter setting, including early intervention with children affected by domestic violence.
• Increasing advocacy, seeking to influence state and federal laws and policies and disseminating research conducted by Sojourner Center Institute.
The Strategic Plan also focuses on measures to strengthen Sojourner Center and ensure its programs' effectiveness, including:
• Investing in quality assurance, through creation of a new department to assist Sojourner Center in conducting independent, empirical research in support of its mission.
• Data analysis of programs and outcomes of domestic violence programs to develop solutions based on measureable outcomes, allowing replication of successful programs.
• Expanded collaborations with community organizations and leaders to enable Sojourner Center's success in improving services and outcomes for victims of domestic violence and in creating effective prevention programs.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Beyond shelter, Sojourner Center's services focus on the most powerful ways of preventing and eradicating all forms of domestic violence while working to serve those directly impacted by it. Our care continuum reaches all corners of our diverse communities through:
1) Direct services uniquely tailored to people who have experienced abuse and violence, with an emphasis on services to:
• Protect children's health and prioritize their right to get a quality education.
• Understand, screen, treat and research traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) and mental health.
• Enhance culturally sensitive modalities to more effectively reach disenfranchised communities.
• Ensure safe shelter for abused pets owned by pet parents impacted by domestic violence.
2) Education and prevention efforts aimed at youth and the community, including:
• Intervening early to begin the healing process and build resilience from the traumatic impact that domestic violence has on children.
• Developing outcomes based awareness and education models to help prevent domestic violence, including human trafficking, in our communities.
3) Advocacy, research and leadership to end domestic violence, focused on securing the support of policymakers and engaging community leaders, including:
• Engaging communities through training and education to make sure the voices of those affected by abuse and violence will be heard and change can happen.
• Educating decision-makers and influencing policy through thought leadership on domestic violence-related issues.
• Developing and disseminating original research through the Sojourner Center Institute, which brings together academia, medical researchers, practitioners and students who are dedicated to bridging the gaps in the field of domestic violence.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Through implementation of the Five-Year Strategic Plan, Sojourner Center believes it can reinvent how domestic violence is viewed and treated in Arizona, becoming a center of excellence that offers new models and best practices for other service providers worldwide. Sojourner Center is among the first to ask critical questions about societal norms, digging deeper to better understand and care for the individuals who receive our services each year.
We believe the most important and foundational “best practices" are listening and learning to inform action. For the domestic violence field to evolve, it must pay close attention to program participants and clearly understand the steps that lead them to seek shelter. Providing temporary housing is only the first step in serving the needs of families affected by domestic violence. Sojourner Center seeks to understand the roots of domestic violence and pursue innovative, multi-disciplinary methods to stop it.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Sojourner Center has successfully strengthened many services, and piloted new projects as a result of our Five-Year Strategic Plan. We are expanding services for children and youth impacted by domestic violence by providing comprehensive assessments and full-continuum, integrated care, individualized to their unique circumstances. We have also launched the Sojourner BRAIN Program, which in its preliminary stages, has collected critical data about the number of shelter residents who may have experienced traumatic brain injury-causal events. Also, in approximately 1.5 years of operations, the Sojourner Pet Companion Shelter has provided vital services for families with pets, but has shown us that the need in the community remains significant.
We will continue to grow and expand each of these programs 1) to ensure we are providing the best and most relevant care to those we serve, and 2) to collect and analyze evidence to identify best practices that can be shared throughout the domestic violence field and beyond.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We act on the feedback we receive, We share the feedback we received with the people we serve
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Sojourner Center
Board of directorsas of 10/04/2023
Dr. Lorrie Henderson
Jewish Family & Children's Service
Lorrie Henderson
President, Jewish Family & Children's Service
Linda Scott
VP of Child & Family Solutions Jewish Family & Children's Service
Mary Jo Whitfield
VP of Integrated Health Jewish Family & Children's Service
Terrence Daniels
Chief Financial Officer Jewish Family & Children's Service
Julie Peterson
Co-Director Sojourner Center
Bailey DeRoest
Co-Director Sojourner Center
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
The organization's co-leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
No data
Transgender Identity
No data
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 04/10/2023GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.