SALT LAKE CITY?The number of telephone calls to certain area domestic-violence shelters and help lines is up by 15 percent to 50 percent since Sept. 11, agency representatives say.

Shelter providers say it?s impossible to know whether the increased number of calls for help is directly linked to stress induced by the terrorism and the downturn in the economy, but they believe it is more than a coincidence.

?Everyone is feeling more vulnerable right now,? said Jenny Mackenzie, chief program coordinator with the YWCA of Salt Lake.

Calls to the YWCA are up by 15 percent for September and October, compared to the same time in July and August.