BOZEMAN — Domestic violence happens in the Gallatin Valley more often than you may think.
In fact, in just the last year, one local nonprofit called Haven, which helps survivors of domestic violence, has seen an 87% increase in overnight stays.
MTN News spoke with Haven's executive director about why they’re seeing this uptick.
“It’s a massive issue. Much bigger than many of us realize,” says Erica Aytes Coyle.
For over a decade, Erica has helped survivors of domestic violence in the Gallatin Valley. As the executive director of Haven, she’s worked first-hand with every one of the 1,200 survivors that come through Haven’s program each year.
“That number can be a big surprise for a lot of members of our community. Just thinking about 1,200 people. That’s the population of West Yellowstone. The entire population experiencing domestic violence,” says Erica.
According to Break the Cycle, a Domestic Violence Statistics tracker, every minute 32 people experience domestic violence in the United States. And those numbers are reflected right here in Gallatin County.
Last year, with a budget of $8.6 million, Haven opened their new facility, with 30 bedrooms for domestic violence survivors. Today, those 30 rooms are almost at capacity, and Erica says they will likely be full by the end of the year.
Since the facility's opening, Haven has seen an 87% increase in overnight stays. But that’s not the only thing on the rise. They’ve also seen an 8% increase in the number of phone calls to their 24-hour support line.
So why are we seeing such an uptick?
“We also know that Gallatin County is growing by quite a bit,” says Erica “so inevitably we’re going to see increased needs on all of our nonprofits”.
But Detective Captain Dana McNeil with Bozeman Police tells me, that domestic violence rates seem to be growing even faster than the population.
“We see an increase of about 10% every year in domestic violence. You know, we have a population growth in our city of around 5% or 6%, somewhere in there. So, we would probably say our domestic violence rates are outpacing the growth,” says McNeil.
So, is there a way to stop the incline?
Haven has many prevention programs. Working with youth, as well as the general public, to get upstream of this issue.
“When we think about not being in a domestic violence relationship, our focus is really on ‘how do we keep people from becoming abusive?’ Because really the responsibility is on the person causing the abuse,” says Erica.
Even if domestic violence continues to increase in the Gallatin Valley, and their facilities reach capacity? Erica tells me Haven will always find a way to help. By either booking short-term hotels or covering travel expenses to stay with extended family.
“I have the immense privilege of getting to see the very real impact that Haven has every day on our community. And that’s something that’s very meaningful, and gives me a lot of hope,” says Erica.
If you’re in a domestic violence situation, or if you’re not sure but want to seek help, Haven’s 24-hour phone line is open to anyone. Just call (406)-586-4111.
