This instructional material presents best practices for agencies and community organizations that provide services for male survivors of violence, with a focus on under-served boys and men of color.
The proposed best practices stem from interviews with hospital-based violence intervention programs, school-based health centers, and community-based organizations. Male survivors of violence are often disconnected from an effective family support system and lack personal resources for the development of healthy, trusting relationships. This requires that victim service organizations develop and implement outreach strategies that will initiate contact with male victims of violence who are unlikely to seek help for the adverse impacts of being a victim of violence. This means victim service entities must employ individuals who have experienced the neighborhood environment and social handicaps that have undermined the help-seeking behaviors of many male victims of violence. Victim service organizations must also provide culturally relevant, trauma-informed services that address the reluctance of boys and men of color to recognize the adverse effects of violent victimization and the kinds of services they need to address them. This brief offers suggestions to victim-service personnel in being trauma-informed, being trained in culturally relevant content and information, and engaging family members and community residents.