City of Phoenix Mobile Victim Advocate - Debbie Valenzuela

Press release from the City of Phoenix:

April 30, 2020

Going someplace outside the home may be the only escape from abuse that domestic violence victims get. But in this time of stay-at-home orders, places to go are limited. That's where the City of Phoenix mobile victim advocates come in.

"The most dangerous calls are domestic violence," Debbie Valenzuela, a mobile victim advocate, said. "And if we can help the victim not go back, that's what we are here for."

Valenzuela is a mobile victim advocate with the City of Phoenix's Family Advocacy Center. Her office is her car, and her job is to work closely with Phoenix Police to be a resource for domestic violence victims, whether or not we're in a worldwide pandemic.

"Domestic violence is a pandemic itself," Valenzuela said. "And because of COVID, it has increased. Any domestic violence calls that officers are out, I then respond."

Valenzuela spends her days monitoring Phoenix Police calls for service. When she hears a call for domestic violence, and it is safe to show up, she goes with her reservoir of resources: toys for kids or educational materials on the cycle of abuse for adults. She also has food, personal hygiene items, and temporary cell phones.

"When a victim calls police, they are nervous, they are scared, they don't know what's going to happen," Valenzuela explained. "And my role as a victim advocate is to be there and support them in any way I can."

Valenzuela assists with making safety plans, filing orders of protection (which now can be done online here), explaining what's next in the judicial process, and sometime simply listening to what the victim is going through. Valenzuela explained that she does all of this because she's been through all of this.

"Being a victim of domestic violence was the hardest thing that I could have ever gone [through]," Valenzuela said. "But I have come over that. It's been easy now. Because I see, this has happened to me because now I can educate other women, and I can let them know, if I came out, you can come out, and there is hope for you."

Valenzuela is a Mobile Victim Advocate and there are many more advocate's waiting to help at the city's Family Advocacy Center (FAC). D.C. Ernst, Acting Deputy Director at the FAC, said their call-in and walk-in services are still fully functioning during this time.

"Domestic violence, or any type of violence, doesn't stop simply because of a crisis or a pandemic," Ernst said. "So, this is critical work that we do to try to help individuals that have been victimized in some way, shape, or form."

You can reach an advocate by calling the Family Advocacy Center at 602-534-2120 or visiting their website and completing a contact victim services form. If you are in immediate danger, call or text 9-1-1.

This press release was produced by the City of Phoenix. The views expressed here are the author’s own.