A men’s centre has been officially opened in Carlisle.
The new men’s centre will provide critical help to vulnerable men in Carlisle and the surrounding areas, with tailored services around the needs of local men through one-to-one sessions and support groups.
The centre will provide extensive support to men over the age of 18 regardless of their circumstances, where they live, sexual orientation or background, and provide assistance on issues including domestic abuse, social isolation and housing/benefit support.
Cumbria’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, David Allen officially launched Cumbria Gateway’s Gateway 4 Men at 29 Lowther Street, Carlisle.
The new initiative has been made possible through funding secured by the Office of the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner from the Ministry of Justice, for £19,796.
The Office for National Statistics show every year that one in three victims of domestic abuse are male. Yet according to Safelives data only 4.4% men are being supporting by local domestic services.
For every three victims of partner abuse, two will be female and one will be male, and 59% of men experiencing partner abuse did not perceive what was happening to them as domestic abuse. Men are three times less likely to tell anyone they are victims of domestic abuse (49% of men tell no one compared to 19% of women).
In the last 12 months (1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024), male victims made up 29% (1,294) of all victims of recorded Domestic Abuse crime in Cumbria.
Mr Allen said: “It was very clear at the ‘Gateway 4 Men’ centre official launch, that specialist services are needed to encourage men to come forward and give them confidence to access the support they need.
“Research has shown the impact of crime and domestic abuse can be experienced differently for men due, in part, to cultural and societal expectations.
“Harmful stereotyping, combined with popular myths and misconceptions around male victims, can act as additional barriers when it comes to reporting and seeking help.
“The Gateway 4 Men centre has been welcoming men from the local area since January and has already proved instrumental in helping to shape and develop the centre’s future direction. With feedback from the regular male users, the centre is evolving and continually driving to improve the service it provides.
“We need to understand why certain groups within our communities do not come forward to report crime so that we can provide the right support, challenge any barriers male victims face and understand more about the fact that men access services in different ways to women.
“Coming forward after experiencing abuse of any kind is difficult enough for anyone, regardless of gender or sexual orientation, but to know dedicated help is out there specifically for men, is certainly a big step in the right direction.
“Providing designated support for men will hopefully encourage more male victims to come forwards and report. Help is out there; you do not have to suffer in silence.”
Detective Inspector Mike Taylor, of Cumbria Constabulary, said: “The men’s centre will hopefully lead to more men accessing the support they require.
“We are aware that some men may feel uncomfortable or be unwilling to report what has happened to them. My message to them is that any report they provide to police will be dealt with the upmost sensitivity and they will be taken seriously.
“We work closely with trusted partner agencies to ensure that any victim receives appropriate support, tailored to their individual circumstances.
“If you are a victim of any form of abuse, please report this to police so we can investigate.”
Support is available at:
Gateway 4 Men
Contact: [email protected]
Call: 01228 212 091
29 Lowther Street, Carlisle, CA3 8EN
