Laying the final brick – Domestic violence shelter prepares to open its doors to families with pets

Safe Embrace, a domestic violence shelter in Reno, was recently awarded a Safe Housing grant from RedRover. Thanks to your support, our Safe Housing grant enabled the Northern Nevada shelter to build the area’s first SAF-T (Sheltering Animals and Families Together) shelter for pets of domestic violence victims. The project is being led by their Executive Director, John Etchemendy. He told RedRover, “I began searching (for housing options for pets) after having to tell four survivors in three months that we could not house their animals.”

Safe Embrace is one of two domestic violence shelters in the Reno-Sparks area and serves a population of 450,000 residents in a state that consistently reports among the highest rates of domestic violence in the country. The project was unanimously approved by their Board of Directors and several individuals and businesses have donated their time and supplies to the project. Safe Embrace received a $3,000 Safe Housing grant from RedRover last November to cover building materials and supplies. Their project plan was simple and cost-effective and with a team of dedicated volunteers, they were able to accomplish their project within record time. “They submitted their grant application in October and plan to open their on-site kennel in March,” said Esperanza Zuniga, RedRover Relief Program Manager. “Other nearby shelters have taken note of their remarkable progress and have expressed interest in RedRover’s domestic violence programs.”

We’re so proud of Safe Embrace and we’re looking forward to receiving the next round of Safe Housing applications in May. Please share our flier to spread the word about these grants: RedRover.org/SafeHousingflier.

Watch the KTVN News video about Safe Embrace and their pet sheltering efforts