Stepping Stones Celebrates 45 Years of Safety, Healing, and Hope
By Stepping Stones Agencies
Since 1980, Stepping Stones Agencies has provided around-the-clock advocacy support and safe shelter for adults and children experiencing domestic violence in West Yavapai County. That’s 45 years of safe nights of sleep, supportive fellowship, and finding freedom from all forms of abuse.
Faith House (now Stepping Stones Agencies) opened its doors as the first domestic violence shelter for women and children in Northern Arizona. With 10 beds plus five cribs, women and children were able to find safety and support in the rural Prescott area.
Two decades later, Stepping Stones expanded to a larger safe shelter campus with 16 beds and five cribs for emergency shelter. Additionally, the move added four two-bedroom affordable transitional housing apartments. With more space, Stepping Stones was able to serve more families and added additional advocates to provide 24/7/365 services in the new space.
Today, in addition to the safe campus, Stepping Stones has also added five additional affordable transitional apartments (for a total of nine) to serve even more families each year.
What does 45 years of advocacy and safe shelter look like?
It is 200,000+ hours of face-to-face crisis support for thousands of adults and children who are working hard to find freedom from violence and abuse.
It is women like Molly (whose name we changed to protect her privacy), who escaped violence as a child only to find it again as an adult.
“When I left my parents’ house for the last time, I was so happy because I never had to listen to them fighting again. I never had to see my mom cry after my dad hit her so hard that her head put a hole in the wall. I never had to experience my dad’s alcohol-fueled rage again. But when I met my ex, I became the person crying, bruised, with holes in the walls around me. I couldn’t believe that this was my life. It took me years before I found enough strength to leave. Stepping Stones gave me safety when I had none. I learned through the groups to understand why I needed to heal my childhood before I would be able to really move on to a healthier place in life. But mostly, they cared about me and helped me see that I was capable to change my life. Without them, I think I wouldn’t be alive today. Thank you for helping me change my life.”
Thank you for supporting local families by donating, shopping, and giving back with Stepping Stones Agencies. Families are finding freedom because of you.
Stepping Stones Agencies provides 24/7/365 advocacy services including safe shelter for adults and children experiencing domestic violence and other forms of abuse in West Yavapai County. To learn more about Stepping Stones’ services, visit www.SteppingStonesAZ.org. Want to talk to an advocate? Call the 24/7/365 Helpline at 928.445.HOPE (4673).