Why We Exist
The Need
One in five men in the US report having no close friends.
In 2023 alone, only 17% of men had seen a mental health professional to discuss what is going on in their lives.*
And Yet – suicide is a leading cause of death among American males aged 25-44.
WHY?
There is an old myth that men do not talk about their feelings. Many men will not ask for help, believing that they need to handle their problems themselves instead of possibly appearing weak.
Men’s Haven provides a free network of peer support through connection and friendships. In essence, just guys who have been there and might be able to help.
*NCHS 2025 data.
The Hard Facts about Men's Mental Health
The truth is, the US has built an extensive, well-funded infrastructure of support services for women in crisis.
For men in crisis… almost nothing comparable exists.
The Treatment Gap
In 2023, only 17% of American men saw a mental health professional compared to 28.5% of women. Among men who have been diagnosed with depression, only one in four received counseling or therapy in the previous year.
Men are significantly less likely to use mental health services across every demographic measured.
The primary reason that men give for not seeking help is NOT cost, NOT access, and NOT insurance. It is the belief that they should handle their problems themselves.
*data sources: VeryWellMind (2024), SAMHSA (2025), NCHS (2025)
Men's Suicide
Suicide is the leading cause of death in the US for men aged 24-44 after unintentional accidents.
According to the CDC, the male suicide rate in 2023 was 29.8 per every 100,000 men. For women in that same age group, the rate was 7.7 per 100,000 women.
That means that men are 4x as likely to die from suicide than women, and yet – men receive only a fraction of the outreach, peer support, and community resources directed at suicide prevention.
Male Isolation
A 2024 Gitnux market research brief reported that 40% of men feel lonely at least once a week, and 1 in 4 men say they lack close friends.
A Pew Research Center survey in January 2025 also found that while men and women are about equally likely to say that they have at least one close friend, men who have close friends communicate with them far less frequently than women do.
Men also lean almost exclusively on a romantic partner for emotional support. When that relationship ends – through divorce, separation, or death – many men have no remaining support network at all.
Men’s Haven exists to be that network before the crisis, not just after it.
*data source: Pew Researach Center, January 2025, Gitnux Market Research Brief, 2024.
Male Homelessness
According to the 2024 HUD Annual Homelessness Assessment Report, men make up two-thirds of the homeless population – yet – are significantly less likely to be sheltered than homeless women.
Over the past decade, the number of homeless men increased by 36%.
Homelessness and social isolation are deeply connected. Men who lose peer connection and brotherhood are more vulnerable to the cascading crisis – job loss, relationship breakdown, addiction, depression – that lead to homelessness.
*data source: HUD 2024 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report (AHAR), American Institute for Boys and Men, July 2025.
Our Core Values
Empathy and Support
Community Connections
Fun Education and Growth
Respect and Dignity
Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
