Male and LGBTQ+ victims of domestic abuse will be able to seek safety in a new refuge.

Domestic abuse charity New Leaf Support has opened a refuge for men and LGBTQ+ men in Sittingbourne – the first in the county – in the hope of breaking the stigma surrounding male victims of abuse.

The charity has assisted domestic abuse survivors for 10 years in Swale and between September last year and August this year it has helped 166 victims of domestic abuse.

A number of the male abuse survivors the charity has supported have come forward to share their stories anonymously.

One said they had “lost their job because he “would go to work with bruises all the time”.

He added: “I had to leave my job because people were always asking questions about the bruises.

“They also knew my boyfriend so I couldn’t say it was him.

“I told him our relationship was over, but he didn’t listen and wouldn’t accept it, kept turning up at the same places as me on a night out.

“I wanted to move out but the only male refuge I was offered was in the north of England which was too far away from my family in Kent.”

Another man who has received from the charity said they “did not know” that there is support for male victims as well as women.

New Leaf Support manager Amanda Walker says while society is changing to support all victims of abuse “it’s not changing quick enough”.

She added: “We are so excited to be launching our new refuge space and we hope to get the word out about it so people are more aware of domestic abuse.

“At the moment there are lots of refuges for women but none for men and LGBTQ+ men who are survivors of abuse so there is a gap in support.

“We are seeing more and more males needing support, which is good as it means they are coming forward.

“There’s a lot of stigma around men needing help and they are often not as open as women about their issues. It needs to be broken.

“Domestic abuse is being talked about more but it usually focuses on women.

“We hope society is changing and listening to male survivors but it isn’t changing quickly enough.”

The refuge is a self-contained one-bedroomed flat which the charity hopes will fill a “gap in support” for male and LGBTQ+ victims of abuse.

‘There’s a lot of stigma around men needing help which needs to be broken’

It also has a sofa bed in case children need to be housed as well.

The flat will act as temporary emergency accommodation until the person is able to find a permanent safe home.

The charity is also set to offer support to victims through safety planning, independent advisor support, counselling, wellbeing groups and access to its food bank.

For more information about New Leaf Support click here.

Respect, a national charity that supports male victims, worked with New Leaf Support to set up the refuge which opened on Monday, October 30 and is already in use.

Victims are referred to the charity from Swale council where they are able to claim housing benefits to pay for their time in the refuge.