The holidays can be a difficult time of year for victims of domestic violence. It’s why Sojourner Center, a domestic violence shelter in Phoenix, works with its families to help create new, positive holiday traditions.
Sojourner Center’s Holiday Boutique is filled with donated toys, clothes, electronics, books, jewelry and other brand new items.
"The families that live in Sojourner Center are able to safely shop there for their children, the children can shop for their moms," said Gordon Sims, Sojourner Center’s director of philanthropy.
He says families use what he calls, “holiday bucks,” to purchase items. The idea is to help create new holiday traditions in a safe and controlled environment.
"Because quite often, the holidays are used by the abuser to kind of control and coerce the family to make the experience about them. And so what we get an opportunity to do with the families is define how they want the holidays to look for them."
Sims says the Holiday Boutique has been around for nearly 20 years.
