Ten Safe Housing Grants Awarded for On-Site and Off-Site Pet Housing at Domestic Violence Shelters
Sacramento, CA – RedRover©, a national animal welfare organization, has awarded more than $190,000 in grant funds to 10 domestic violence shelters across the United States in our first round of 2018 grants. These grants enable the shelters to create on- and off-site space to house pets through RedRover’s Safe Housing program.
According to Sheltering Animals and Families Together (SAF-T), a national initiative that guides family violence shelters on how to welcome families with pets, only a fraction of the approximately 1,400 domestic violence shelters in the United States report having the ability to house animals onsite.
RedRover President & CEO Nicole Forsyth states, “RedRover is here to help – too many victims stay in abusive relationships out of fear of leaving their beloved pets with their abuser. Our goal is to ensure that there are pet-friendly domestic violence shelters in every state so that they aren’t faced with the horrible choice of leaving their animals behind.”
RedRover is helping to bridge a huge gap by providing essential funding to domestic violence shelters to help them build animal-friendly programs, so pets and people who escaped together can stay together. The following shelters received Safe Housing grant awards during this application period:
- Dove Center (Domestic Violence Sexual Assault Resource Center, Inc) – Oakland, MD for $20,000
- LSS CHOICES for Victims of Domestic Violence – Worthington, OH for $20,000
- Safe Futures, Inc. – New London, CT for $15,044
- Samaritan House, Inc. – Virginia Beach, VA for $20,000
- Solutions Center Shelter and Support Services, Inc. – Fond du-Lac, WI for $20,000
- Siskiyou Domestic Violence & Crisis Center, Inc. – Yreka, CA for $20,000
- Spouse Abuse Sexual Assault Crisis Center, Inc. – Hastings, NE for $15,000
- CHILD, Inc. – Wilmington, DE for $20,000
- People’s Place II, Inc. – Milford, DE for $20,000
- Hill Country Crisis Council, Inc. (HCCC) – Kerrville, TX for $20,000
According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, more than 70 percent of pet-owning women entering domestic violence shelters reported that their batterer had injured, killed or threatened family pets for revenge or psychological control. Up to 48 percent of domestic violence victims are unable to escape their abusers because they fear what will happen to their pets when they leave.
RedRover is partnering with SAF-T to work toward the goal of having at least one pet-friendly domestic violence shelter in each state. With this round of grants, we now have three new states that offer pet-friendly housing, bringing the total number of states remaining without pet-friendly shelters to six. We encourage the shelters in Hawaii, Maine, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and West Virginia to apply for Safe Housing grants, as there are currently NO pet-friendly domestic violence shelters in these states. For a complete list of RedRover programs to help domestic violence victims escape their abusive situation with their pets, visit redrover.org/relief.
This year RedRover expanded their RedRover Relief Domestic Violence program to keep more families safe together. In addition to the On-Site grants which allow shelters to build on-site housing for pets, RedRover now offers two more options: Safe Housing Startup grants allow domestic violence shelters to create their own program to help victims of domestic violence and their pets escape together, and RedRover Relief Safe Housing Off-Site grants enable domestic violence shelters to partner with another local organization, such as an animal shelter or rescue sanctuary, to build housing at their facility specifically for animals whose owners are staying at the domestic violence shelter. All three Safe Housing options offer grants up to $20,000 to shelters throughout the United States.
Deadlines to apply for Safe Housing grants are May 15 and October 15 each year. To learn more visit: https://redrover.org/SafeHousing.
About RedRover
Since 1987, RedRover has focused on bringing animals out of crisis and strengthening the human-animal bond through emergency sheltering, disaster relief services, financial assistance and humane education. For the fourth consecutive year, RedRover’s sound fiscal management practices and commitment to accountability and transparency have earned it a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, America’s largest independent charity evaluator. To learn more about how RedRover is creating a more compassionate world, please visit RedRover.org.
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Contact:
Keleigh Friedrich
916.429.2457 ext. 317
kfriedrich@redrover.org