Five Safe Housing Grants Awarded for On-Site Pet Housing at Domestic Violence Shelters
Sacramento, CA – RedRover©, a national animal welfare organization based in Sacramento, California, has awarded more than $15,000 in grant funds to five domestic violence shelters across the United States, enabling the shelters to create on-site space to house pets through their 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 2,500 domestic violence shelters in the United States report having the ability to house animals onsite.
RedRover President & CEO 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 enable them to create on-site space to house pets. The following shelters received Safe Housing grant awards during this application period:
• YWCA Glendale – Glendale, California for $760
• Faith House, Inc. – Lafayette, Louisiana for $1,519
• Women’s Transitional Living Center, Inc. – Fullerton, California for $6,000
• WEAVE, Inc. – Sacramento, California for $3,879
• RISE San Luis Obispo County – Paso Robles, California for $3,500
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. Shelters in the following states do not house pets onsite and are encouraged to apply for Safe Housing grants: Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and West Virginia.
Deadlines to apply for Safe Housing grants are May 15 and October 15 each year. To learn more visit: https://redrover.org/SafeHousing.
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About RedRover
Now in their 30th year, RedRover focuses on bringing animals out of crisis and strengthening the bond between people and animals through emergency sheltering, disaster relief services, financial assistance and education. Through their RedRover Relief program, they have helped thousands of animals and provided thousands of safe nights across the United States and Canada. For the third consecutive year, RedRover has earned a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, America’s largest independent charity evaluator. To learn more, please visit RedRover.org. You can view our media kit at RedRover.org/media-kit.
Contact:
Sheri Madsen
916.429.2457 ext. 310
916.600.8157 cell
smadsen@redrover.org