PetSmart Charities

Sacramento, California (June 9, 2025) – RedRover®, a national animal welfare 501(c)(3) nonprofit, has awarded 12 Safe Housing grants for a total of $557,087 in their first grant round of 2025. Thanks in part to Purina, PetSmart Charities, and two large anonymous donors, six domestic violence (DV) shelters, three animal shelters, and three homeless shelters can create or expand programming for the pets of survivors and people experiencing homelessness. RedRover + Purina’s Purple Leash Project (PLP) grants are an extension of Safe Housing grants.

The funding will support:

• Construction of pet housing facilities within existing shelters
• Installation of indoor and outdoor pet amenities
• Privacy fencing
• Veterinary care
• Foster programs
• Pet supplies

RedRover President and CEO Katie Campbell said, “Our mission centers on ensuring pets and their families remain safe and together during times of crisis. By helping human service shelters develop pet-inclusive programming, we empower vulnerable communities to secure safe refuge for every family member – including their beloved animals.”

DV Shelter Grantees:

• Illinois: Stephenson County, VOICES of Stephenson County, $38,000
• *Massachusetts: Worcester County, New Hope Inc., $58,000
• *Minnesota: Hennepin County, Missions Inc., $21,087
• *New Jersey: Hunterdon County, Safe in Hunterdon, $60,000
• *Ohio: Hamilton County, YWCA of Greater Cincinnati, $60,000 (Purple Leash Project grantee)
• Texas: Tarrant County, One Safe Place, $60,000 (Purple Leash Project grantee)

 Animal Shelter Grantees:

• Maine: Cumberland County, Maine State Society for the Protection of Animals, $60,000
• Michigan: Clinton County, Giving Paws, $30,000
• Ohio: Montgomery County, SICSA Pet Adoption and Wellness Center, $14,000

Homeless Shelter Grantees:

• California: Sonoma County, The Living Room Center, Inc., $53,000
• Ohio: Hamilton County, Found House Interfaith Housing Network, $60,000
• *Ohio: Clinton County, The Door of Hope, $43,000

*Shelters creating their first pet-friendly program.

“We are so excited that the RedRover Safe Housing Grant will help us build a dog exercise area and provide needed supplies for families with pets, said Missions Inc.’s Program Director,Kari Hitchcock. “Pet safe housing is something we have wanted to offer to our residents for many years. Thank you to RedRover for making this hope a reality!”

“All of us at VOICES are beyond grateful for RedRover’s Safe Housing grant,” said Beth Maskell, VOICES Executive Director. “It is enabling us to revitalize and expand capacity in our shelter pet program. We will be renovating two bedrooms in the shelter so that they are more pet friendly, upgrade the outdoor dog play area, and fund veterinary care and boarding for pets. This grant should help stabilize the program for the next few years. Thank you, RedRover!”

“The RedRover Safe Housing Grant is a transformative gift for our shelter, empowering us to keep survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault together with their beloved pets on the path to healing, said New Hope, Inc. Residential Services Senior Director Zoryana Djula. “For many survivors, pets are more than companions—they are family, offering unconditional love, comfort, and emotional strength during times of profound trauma. Tragically, abusers often exploit this deep bond, using pets as tools of manipulation and control to further isolate and harm survivors. This grant supports our mission to provide a safe and nurturing environment where both people and animals can find stability, rebuild trust, and begin to heal—together.”

“This RedRover grant is a game-changer,” said Stacey Strasser, Executive Director of The Door of Hope. “Our clients are already carrying the heavy burden of crisis, trauma, or displacement. To now be able to tell them, ‘Yes, your pet can come with you,’ is an incredible step toward true healing and safety. It aligns perfectly with our mission to meet people where they are—with dignity, compassion, and support for their whole family, including their furry loved ones.”

SAFE in Hunterdon Executive Director Lauren Van Metre said, “RedRover’s Safe Housing Grant will allow SAFE in Hunterdon to provide immediate housing to survivors of domestic violence who find themselves in crisis. Clients will be able to make decisions that best keep them safe, without having to worry about what will happen to their pets if they were to be left behind. Survivors of domestic violence will feel RedRover’s support as they launch onto their own personal platforms of safety in strength, with their family members, including their children and pets, granted the same fresh start freedom from abuse will provide them.”

Alethea Larson, Executive Director of The Living Room said, “This grant from RedRover means that women and children fleeing domestic violence, who once chose the street or other dangerous places to find refuge with their pets, will no longer have to make impossible choices. Rather, they will now have equitable access to the shelter and services they deserve as they navigate the journey toward permanent stability with all of their family members.”

“Thanks to RedRover’s Safe Housing grant we can keep more families together. At Found House IHN pets are considered members of the families and they should not have to be surrendered or abandoned for people to access services, said Stacey Burge, President & CEO of Found House IHN. “That’s what this grant does. It allows more families to avoid the trauma of such a decision and more pets to stay safe with their people.”

Peg Keyser, Advancement Director at Maine State Society for the Protection of Animals (MSSPA) said, “RedRover has worked with the Maine State Society for the Protection of Animals for nearly three years as the Society envisioned and planned to build a new, 8-stall barn at a 124-acre farm in Cumberland County, Maine. This barn, “A Safe Place to Land,” will be the first stop for all horses arriving at the farm for rehabilitation. Thanks to the support and generosity of the RedRover Safe Housing grant, the MSSPA will also welcome horses of domestic violence survivors, fleeing an abuser, for respite care while the survivors begin their journey to safety.”

“We are grateful for RedRover’s support, which empowers us to care for pets while their families seek safety,” says SICSA President & CEO, Jack Omer. “Programs like Safe Pets, supported through partnerships like this one, ensure that no survivor has to choose between personal safety and staying with a beloved companion.”

“Giving Paws is honored to support the pets of domestic violence survivors who are seeking a safe home, said Giving Paws CEO/Executive Handler Kelly L. Schafer, M.S. “RedRover’s Safe Housing grant allows Giving Paws the ability to ensure the pets who are in our Pet Partner Fostering Program have all of their needs met.”

RedRover is grateful for their partners and donors for supporting survivors and their pets. KONG® is providing dog and cat toys to all Safe Housing grantees through 2025. And with the generosity of PetSmart Charities, RedRover launched the 25 by 2025 campaign in 2023 with Greater Good Charities, with the support of Purina, to help 25% of DV shelters become pet friendly by the end of 2025. The current percentage of pet-friendly shelters is 19.5%.

Safe Housing grants of up to $60,000 are available. Safe Housing grant application deadlines are March 1, June 1, and September 1.

Pets and Domestic Violence:

• 91% of survivors indicated that their pets’ emotional support and physical protection are significant in their ability to survive and heal

 Pets and Homelessness:

• It has been estimated that as many as 3.5 million people experience homelessness per year, and as many as 25% have pets.
• Non-pet-friendly shelters force people to choose between their pets and supportive services.