Caring for Male Survivors of Abuse and Trafficking
Here’s how we’re making space for this underserved
Kedrick Nettleton, Community Engagement Manager
One of the biggest misconceptions we hear about The Spring is that we’re a women’s shelter — meaning that the work we do here is entirely for women and their children.
Over the past few years, we’ve worked hard to correct this. It’s true that the majority of the guests, residents, and clients that we serve are women, but all three of our programs are available to men, and we serve male clients and their families every single year.
Given that, we wanted to take this month’s blog post and talk about male survivors of abuse and trafficking. Amber Ponder, The Spring’s program manager, sat with us to discuss our work with this underrepresented population.
But our work to create communities free from abuse and trafficking is holistic work — we’re honored to be a place of shelter and restoration for these men, and we believe that it’s absolutely vital that their stories are heard and understood by our supporters.
Let’s start simple: Why is it important that we serve men as well as women?
“Because men are also victims of trafficking and domestic violence. It’s as simple as that. Men aren’t talked about as much in these spaces, so people may not be as aware of that reality, but that doesn’t make it any less true. Abuse happens to men. Traffickers target men. Not discussing it can add to the stigma that many male survivors face.
Plus, men have far fewer places to turn for safe housing and support in these situations. Many service providers or housing programs are geared specifically toward women and their children, so men can miss out on those opportunities. Everyone, everyone, deserves a safe place to heal, regardless of gender.”
What demographics do our male clients generally fall into? Are they DV clients or HT?
“Typically, the men we serve seek our services for domestic violence, although I won’t say that’s always the case. Specifically, in the last few years, we’ve seen more men who have found us because they’ve been trafficked.”
Do we serve them any differently than women?
“No, we don’t serve men any differently. Every male who comes to our shelter is going to receive the same thing as a woman — case management, legal aid, mental healthcare. All the resources, services, and opportunities that we provide aren’t gendered, and the men in our care need them, too.”
I think one of the common questions people have is about client safety. When you have populations who have been victimized by a man, they might feel unsafe with a male client staying in the shelter. How do we handle that?
“The safety and comfort of our shelter guests come first. Yes, we recognize that some of the survivors we’re serving might feel uncomfortable or unsafe around a male resident. That’s the reality of some people’s past experiences or traumas. But when this happens, we address it proactively through individualized safety planning with an advocate, very clear shelter rules, support from our advocate staff, and appropriate boundaries. And by the way — boundaries are vitally important for all our clients, not just the men.
I’d sum it up by saying this: serving men doesn’t mean ignoring the needs of women. It means making sure that every survivor has access to safety, while respecting the needs and experiences of everyone in the shelter.”
Are there some common barriers to service that male clients face? What are they?
“I don’t want to speak in generalities, but there are certainly some commonalities. We see shame and stigma about being a victim from the men that we serve. We see a lot of fear that people won’t believe them, or that people will minimize their experiences. As I said before, there are fewer shelters that serve men, and that’s a barrier. I also think that some men have the idea that asking for help or seeking services can make them ‘less strong,’ or ‘less masculine,’ and that can be pretty heartbreaking to see.”
The Spring provides services for survivors, not just women. Domestic violence, human trafficking, sexual assault, and stalking are not gendered crimes — they can happen to anyone. We’re honored to provide safety, support, and a place to heal for anyone who needs our services.