Progress with Men's Domestic Violence Shelter in Vancouver, B.C

Our neighbors to the north are making progress toward opening a shelter that will serve men and their children who need a refuge from domestic violence. Canadian Centre for Men and Families has opened such a shelter in Toronto, and now they’re aiming to do the same in Vancouver, British Columbia. [Check out this video tour of their Toronto facility, which has regularly been at capacity since it opened in 2021.]

Carol Metz Murray is leading the Vancouver men’s shelter project for CCMF. She spoke with Blair Daly of WIBM and shared interesting insight into both the progress and challenges they’re seeing. “It is an uphill climb,” says Carol, “but we need services for women, and we need services for men.” From their 20-minute conversation the viewer can learn:

What statistics are available that demonstrate a need for domestic violence services for men
Whom Carol and the team are reaching out to and gaining partnerships and support from
Why getting support from elected officials and governmental bureaucracies is a slow process
What experiences Carol has that qualify her to lead this men’s shelter initiative
What happens with a man’s children when a homeless shelter is his only option for fleeing domestic violence

One of the interesting things she shared is that a program of the British Columbia government pays for the operating costs of domestic violence shelters in the province that serve women and children. According to Carol, the amount that CCMF would need to cover the operating costs of the shelter they’d like to open in Vancouver would be less than 1% of that program’s budget. “And that one shelter for men would serve all of B.C. It would be full right away,” she said.

Does Washington have a men’s domestic violence shelter?

In Washington state there are so far no domestic violence shelters specifically for men. However, certain shelters do offer the full range of services and accommodations to men with children as they offer to women with children.

Dorsol Plants is a King County resident who formerly managed a domestic violence shelter in Washington. According to Dorsol:

“Some services such as counseling and basic needs support are easier to provide at a shelter regardless of the gender of the survivor. Other resources like housing depend on the physical design of the program. The gradual transition from congregate to non-congregate shelter models has helped increase access for men.”

Carol Metz Murray speaks on opening a domestic violence shelter for men in British Columbia

Below is a lightly edited transcript of the video above.

Blair Daly, WIBM: Last November I saw a video posted on YouTube by the Canadian Centre for Men and Families titled “Help us open a domestic violence shelter for men in British Columbia.” That certainly caught my attention given my advocacy for men and boys here in Washington state, and with Vancouver, B.C. being our neighbors to the north. Can you bring us up to speed on the latest developments with that project?

Carol Metz Murray, CCMF: I have been conducting outreach alongside Justin Trottier, the CEO for the Canadian Centre for Men and Families, and the British Columbia chapter of CCMF and its board of directors. There has been a huge outreach component to this project.

There are several programs providing services to men on Vancouver Island and here in the lower mainland. They have been very supportive. We have reached out and spoken to other agencies such as the Canadian Mental Health Association and also organizations that serve women. We’ve reached out to First Nations organizations too. They have been supportive because they say ‘Yes, men need services.’ We’re very pleased that there is recognition that men and their children need services.

We have reached out to developers to share what we have accomplished so far and what we envision for the project, and to see what possible partnerships could evolve. We’ve reached out to local governments, too, to see what possible partnerships may exist at that level. We’ve contacted folks in the private sector seeking partnerships with them too.

At this point a precise physical location for a shelter that would support programs for men and families fleeing domestic violence is not yet determined.

Trying to gain governmental support

The big thing is opening up a door where government is concerned — government in power, government in opposition, and the bureaucracies — to begin for them to see that men need services as well. We have services for women who are fleeing domestic violence and yay — thankfully we have those, because women are receiving services and therefore children are receiving services.

Over on the other side, when we have no services for men who are fleeing domestic violence, what does that say about the children of those men? We don’t care about them? I get really passionate because we need services for mom, and we need services for dad, so that ultimately children can also receive services and care, and that we break the cycle. It’s time. It’s time Blair! We’re living in the twenty-first century for goodness sake.

Blair Daly, WIBM: Is it known that there are men who are experiencing domestic violence who would benefit from a shelter but don’t have access to one? Or, perhaps, what they do have access to is homeless shelters, which don’t provide the same services that ideally a domestic violence shelter for men would provide?

Carol Metz Murray, CCMF: In the fall of 2022 the Canadian federal government put out a news release through their Women and Gender Equality department. It basically said that men, too, are dealing with domestic violence…[Watch the video for the complete content of our conversation with Carol Metz Murray.]