Helpline for those who abuse opens in regionDate: 4/21/2021 WESTERN MASS – Ten to Ten, a free, confidential helpline for people who abuse or may abuse their intimate partner, launched on April 15. The Helpline is the first of its kind in the United States, although similar programs exist in Australia and the United Kingdom.
The Helpline will serve Western Massachusetts and will operate from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., 365 days a year. The toll-free number is 877-898-3411.
Family, friends and professionals worried that someone may harm their partner can also call the Helpline.
The Project is part of a broad national movement that seeks to increase non-criminal responses to intimate partner violence through the creation of community-based restorative practice.
The Helpline is a collaboration between the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, Behavioral Health Network and Growing a New Heart. An Advisory Board of regional partners as well as two rural domestic violence task forces from the Ware River Valley and the Southern Hilltowns will oversee and guide the project.
“People who abuse their partners are our neighbors, the people we group up with, our family and sometimes our friends. That is the hard truth,” according to Monica Moran, manager of Domestic Violence Prevention Projects at the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission. “This doesn’t mean they are not accountable for the harm they cause. But it does mean that if they want to learn how to be safe in their relationships, if they want to learn how to hold themselves accountable, we need to be ready to work with them. We need to build resources and services that can help them learn from people who are always safe in their relationships.”
The Pioneer Valley Planning Commission secured Federal CARES Act of 2020 funding for the Helpline in partnership with 25 towns in the region, with Ware as the lead town. CARES Act funding is intended to address the impact of COVID-19, and studies across the country and the world show an increase in intimate partner violence since the pandemic started. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health is providing supplemental funding so that the Helpline can serve all of Western Massachusetts.
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