The Arizona domestic violence hotline operated by the Arizona Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence (ACESDV) answers calls at 602-279-2900 or toll-free at 1-800-782-6400, connecting you with a trained advocate who can find shelter, help with safety planning, and point you to legal and financial resources anywhere in the state. If you are deaf or hard of hearing, reach the line through Arizona Relay at 711.1Arizona Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence. Connect If someone is in physical danger right now, call 911 first.
Numbers to Call
The ACESDV helpline is the statewide starting point. Advocates there know what shelter beds are open, which legal aid offices take new clients, and how to coordinate transportation if you need to leave quickly.2Arizona Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence. ACESDV Helpline
Several regional lines also take calls directly:
- Maricopa and Pinal Counties: La Frontera EMPACT runs a 24-hour crisis hotline at 480-784-1500. It is a behavioral health crisis center rather than a domestic violence specialist, but its counselors handle safety situations and route callers to domestic violence resources around Phoenix.3La Frontera Empact. La Frontera Empact
- Pima County: Emerge Center Against Domestic Abuse operates a multilingual, 24-hour hotline at 520-795-4266 or toll-free at 888-428-0101 for survivors in the Tucson area.
- National backup: The National Domestic Violence Hotline is available around the clock at 1-800-799-7233, with live chat at thehotline.org and a text option (text “START” to 88788). Use it if the Arizona lines are busy or if you prefer not to call.4The National Domestic Violence Hotline. Domestic Violence Support
You do not need to prove you qualify before calling. Arizona defines domestic violence broadly, covering current and former spouses, people who live or lived together, co-parents, blood relatives and in-laws, and current or former romantic partners even if they never shared a home.5Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 13-3601 – Domestic Violence; Definition; Classification; Sentencing An advocate will help you figure out where your situation fits.
What Happens on the Call
The first questions are about your immediate safety. Where are you? Is the person who hurt you nearby? Are children with you? The advocate is gauging how urgent the response needs to be, not quizzing you.
You do not need a prepared story. A brief account of the most recent incident is usually enough to orient the advocate. If children are involved, expect questions about their ages so the advocate can match you to shelter space that can take them.
Interpreter services are available on both the ACESDV and national lines for callers who speak languages other than English. Conversations are confidential, with one legal exception: Arizona law requires domestic violence victim advocates to report suspected child abuse or neglect when they develop a reasonable belief that a child has been physically harmed or is at risk.6Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 13-3620 – Duty to Report Abuse, Physical Injury, Neglect and Denial or Deprivation of Medical or Surgical Care or Nourishment of Minors Knowing this up front lets you decide what to share.
Calling Safely If You Think You’re Being Monitored
Abusers often watch shared phone plans, GPS apps, and browser history. If any of that is a concern, use a device the other person cannot see. A trusted friend’s phone, a library computer, or a prepaid phone bought with cash are all harder to track.
If you visit a resource site on your own computer, clear the history afterward. On a desktop browser, Ctrl+Shift+Delete on Windows or Command+Shift+Delete on Mac opens the clearing tool directly. On mobile, look under your browser’s privacy or history settings. The National Domestic Violence Hotline’s website also includes a quick-exit button that instantly redirects the browser.
Ask the advocate about a technology safety plan when you call. It is one of the most useful parts of the conversation and one of the most overlooked. The Safety Net Project at techsafety.org publishes free guides for survivors on detecting stalkerware, managing smart home devices, and securing connected cars.
Shelter, Transportation, and Pets
Hotline advocates are the main gateway to Arizona’s emergency shelter network. When you call, the advocate contacts facilities in real time to locate an open bed and can coordinate safe transportation. Shelters typically provide food, clothing, hygiene products, and referrals for medical care.2Arizona Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence. ACESDV Helpline
Pets are not a reason to stay. Arizona law allows a judge to include animals in an Order of Protection, prohibiting the abuser from taking, hiding, harming, or neglecting any animal owned by you, the abuser, or a child in either household.7Arizona Judicial Branch. Protective Order Animals Some shelters house pets on-site; others work with animal welfare groups or veterinary clinics for temporary foster care. Ask the advocate to help identify pet-friendly options.
Help Getting a Protective Order
Arizona has two civil protective tools, and both are free to file. An Order of Protection is for situations involving one of the domestic relationships defined in state law, and service of process is free.8Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 13-3602 – Order of Protection; Procedure; Contents; Arrest for Violation; Penalty An Injunction Against Harassment covers threatening behavior from someone who is not a domestic partner or family member, such as a neighbor or coworker.9Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 12-1809 – Injunction Against Harassment
You can file either petition at any magistrate, justice of the peace, or superior court in Arizona, regardless of which county you or the other person lives in. Your home address is kept confidential, held in a separate document that is not part of the public court record.8Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 13-3602 – Order of Protection; Procedure; Contents; Arrest for Violation; Penalty The court can order the other person to stay away from your home, workplace, and school, and can include children and pets.
You do not have to walk into a courthouse to start the paperwork. Arizona’s AZPOINT portal, the Arizona Protective Order Initiation and Notification Tool, walks you through a guided interview to prepare the petition before you contact a court to file it.10Arizona Judicial Branch. AZPOINT Information A hotline advocate can sit with you through the process.
Housing, Work, and Money
Many callers stay in dangerous situations because of practical worries about rent, work schedules, and bills. Advocates can walk you through the specific Arizona protections that exist for each.
On housing, you can end a lease early without penalty if you give your landlord written notice along with either a copy of an Order of Protection or a police report documenting the abuse. The incident must have occurred within the 30 days before the notice, and the landlord must release you from the lease within 30 days of receiving it. You owe rent only through the termination date plus any outstanding balance, and the landlord cannot keep your security deposit as a penalty, though normal damage deductions still apply.11Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 33-1318 – Early Termination by Tenant; Domestic Violence
If you live in federally subsidized housing, the Violence Against Women Act adds protections: you cannot be evicted because of the abuse, you can request an emergency transfer to a different unit, and a Section 8 voucher moves with you. Housing providers must accept a self-certification form (HUD Form 5382) as proof and cannot demand more documentation unless they have conflicting information.12U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Violence Against Women Act (VAWA)
On work, if your employer has 50 or more employees, Arizona law gives you the right to take leave to attend court proceedings related to your case or to obtain an Order of Protection or Injunction Against Harassment, without being fired.13Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 13-4439 – Right to Leave Work; Scheduled Proceedings; Counseling The leave is tied to specific proceedings rather than open-ended, but it exists so you do not have to choose between a court date and a paycheck.
On money, Arizona’s Crime Victim Compensation Program, run through the Arizona Criminal Justice Commission, reimburses survivors for expenses tied to the crime, including medical costs, mental health treatment, and counseling. You do not need an arrest or conviction to apply, but the program pays last, after insurance and other sources. Claims are handled at the county level, and applications can be submitted through the ACJC’s online portal.14Arizona Criminal Justice Commission. Victim Compensation Program An advocate can tell you which county coordinator to contact.
Keeping Your New Address Private
If you are worried that your abuser could find your new location through public records, the Arizona Secretary of State runs an Address Confidentiality Program for survivors of domestic violence, sexual offenses, and stalking. Enrolled participants receive a substitute address to use with state and local government agencies, and the Secretary of State’s office forwards all first-class and certified mail to the real address at no cost.15Arizona Secretary of State. Address Confidentiality Program (ACP) A hotline advocate can walk you through enrollment.
If You Are Not a U.S. Citizen
Immigration status is not a bar to calling the hotline or seeking shelter. Federal law under the Violence Against Women Act allows some non-citizen survivors to apply for lawful permanent residence without the abuser’s knowledge or cooperation. You may be eligible to self-petition by filing Form I-360 if you have been the victim of battery or extreme cruelty by a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident spouse, former spouse, parent, or adult child.16USCIS. Green Card for VAWA Self-Petitioner
The process carries real risks. A denied petition can trigger removal proceedings if the government was not previously aware of your immigration status. Talk to an immigration attorney before filing. Many Arizona legal aid organizations offer this consultation at no cost, and a hotline advocate can connect you with one.