For Emerge Center Against Domestic Abuse, celebrating a 50th anniversary is bittersweet.
“It is a mixed bag. One the one hand, there is so much to celebrate about how far we have come since 1975 and our evolution from a grass-roots, volunteer-driven movement into this comprehensive survivor-centered organization dedicated to fostering safety and healing for survivors of domestic violence, but it is not lost on us that there is something very heavy about the ongoing suffering that still demands our attention,” said Anna Harper, CEO of Emerge.
She and a group of supporters are working to make the upcoming celebration golden — literally and figuratively — at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 28 at the Arizona State Schools for the Deaf & Blind Berger Performing Arts Center, 1200 W. Speedway Blvd.
“When we talk about celebrating our work ... the people who have given time, labor and emotional labor to care for survivors deserve to be acknowledged, and so do the people who are still suffering and have lost their loved ones. But I would be remiss if I didn’t say our work is not done and we need the support from the public now more than ever,” Harper said.
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A 26-year advocate for survivors and victims of domestic violence, Harper is dedicated to honoring the voices of survivors and reaffirming a future free from violence. She is proud that earlier this year Emerge completed an $8.5 million state-of-the-art smart living facility that offers 25 individual studio-style casitas designed specifically for survivors. The solar-powered emergency shelter features communal kitchens and living spaces where participants can access essential services such as support groups for adults and children as well as outdoor spaces including a playground and basketball court.
“We looked at a lot of research about what it means to be trauma-informed and how to provide not just services, but engagement that is healing—and how physical spaces and the environment can facilitate healing as well . . . we wanted to provide spaces that have a sense of community, but afford people the dignity of their own private living spaces and opportunities for quiet if that is what they need,” Harper said.
Harper credits the community for bringing the new emergency shelter to fruition and for building an organization that last year fielded more than 6,750 emergency calls on its 24/7 bilingual crisis hotline and served more than 5,345 individuals experiencing domestic abuse.
“The beauty of the facility is that it is a reflection of our community support for survivors,” she said.
Emerge has also expanded into community-based support, lay legal advocacy, support groups, housing assistance and other services. Last year, it launched Generate Change: Men’s Feedback Helpline to provide confidential, real-time support for men struggling with conflict in their relationships.
Harper is asking the community to rally again as Emerge! faces a $2.5 million budget shortfall annually as a result of changes in federal funding.
“The challenges we are facing this year and going forward are like nothing I have ever seen due to new federal grant requirements and shifting priorities in federal grants. It will make it challenging to sustain all that we have built and we need the community to be aware of what is happening in terms of priorities for funding for survivors,” Harper said.
She said that 75 percent of Emerge funding came from the federal government and new requirements attached to federal grants are not in alignment with “best practices as shown by research to engage survivors and build safety in communities.”
Harper said Emerge is not willing to change the approach it has developed in the best interest of survivors, so it has let some federal contracts go and must find alternative funding in the private sector.
Long-time supporters such as Susan Claassen have come forward to help.
Claassen, renowned for her emerita status after 49 years as Invisible Theatre’s managing artistic director and her role as “Suz” in the “Mols and Suz” comedy and improv team, is thrilled to reunite with Molly McKasson for the 50th Anniversary Celebration. It is fortuitous: “Mols and Suz” helped to kick off Emerge’s opening as the Tucson Center of Women and Children in 1975.
“We supported their mission, and back in the day we helped raise money for many organizations or events that supported feminist ideas, social justice and equity,” Claassen said.
She is gratified to champion the organization that remains committed to supporting domestic abuse survivors of all cultures, races, genders and socioeconomic groups.
“When I heard Anna say that Emerge was not changing its core values and remains committed to diversity and equity and inclusion, we wanted to volunteer to do whatever we can do. It is refreshing to grab that kind of hope,” Claassen said.
After witnessing the evolution of Emerge throughout the past five decades, Claassen emphasized that education and outreach about the prevalence — and the many forms, from physical and emotional to financial and sexual — of domestic violence remains vital.
“We can’t in any way allow any kind of domestic violence to be O.K. and we must give voice to survivors in a positive and loving way and that is what Emerge is all about. It is not just surviving, but it is learning how to thrive, and the training and skills Emerge provide to empower women, men and children to live their best lives is just so important,” Claassen said.
