"A Texas group has opened what's believed to be only the second shelter in the U.S. exclusively for men who are victims of domestic violence, as advocates say more men are seeking help amid changing views about male victims.
'We're trying to help men understand that it's OK to ask for help. It's OK to have emotions. It's OK to cry. It's OK to be vulnerable,' said Paige Flink, CEO of The Family Place in Dallas.
Before opening the 21-bed shelter in a two-story home in May, Flink's organization, like many others, housed male victims in hotels. But Flink said that not only was that becoming costly as the numbers grew, it also wasn't an ideal arrangement for victims to get support.
'They get a lot of growth from being together,' Flink said.
The number of male victims calling the National Domestic Abuse Hotline and its youth-focused project — loveisrespect — has been growing. Last year, about 12,000 male victims called — about 9 percent of victims who identified their gender. That's about double the about 5,800 male victim callers from 2010, said hotline spokeswoman Cameka Crawford.
'We believe that there are likely many more men who may not report or seek help for a number of reasons,' she said."
Read the full article here. For more information on male survivors, see our Serving Male-Identified Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence TA guidance.
