Safe Housing Grants Give Second Chance to Survivors’ Pets
Sacramento, CA (April 20, 2022) – RedRover has awarded $79,460 in Safe Housing grant funds to two domestic violence shelters in their newly expanded grant cycle. RedRover’s Safe Housing grants enable domestic violence shelters to create on- and off-site space to house pets and also allows animal shelters to build dedicated housing for animal victims of abuse.
The need for more pet-friendly spaces is undeniable. Currently, only about 15% of domestic violence shelters in the nation are able to house survivors’ pets.
RedRover President and CEO Nicole Forsyth said, “We expanded our Safe Housing grants from two grant cycles to three per year to give domestic violence shelters more opportunities to apply to become pet-friendly spaces. When shelters are renovated to accommodate survivors’ pets, more lives are saved.”
Safe Housing grantees during this application period:
Ministry Alliance for Regaining Your Safety (MARYS House) in Pickens County, South Carolina will receive $59,640 to convert client walk-in closets into indoor pet amenities, build new outdoor kennels, and install new fencing and concrete in an outdoor area.
Serene Harbor, Inc. in Brevard County, Florida will receive $20,000, in addition to funding from Greater Good Charities’ Rescue Rebuild program, to add a shed that will be converted into three pet retreat rooms – each complete with pet-friendly flooring and drywall, doggy doors that lead to individual, outdoor pet relief areas, furniture for a pet visitation area, and fencing to expand their play yard.
“Thanks to RedRover’s Safe Housing grant we can ensure that every family fleeing domestic violence doesn’t have to make the decision to leave their pet or not, as we consider pets a vital part of the family and should never be left behind,” said MARYS House Executive Director, Kristina Smith. “Through our grant we can refurbish and build new amenities for family pets, so that healing starts immediately, and hope for a safe and secure future is possible.”
According to research conducted by Dr. Frank Ascione, as many as 71% of pet-owning women entering domestic violence shelters report their abuser injured, killed, or threatened family pets for revenge or psychological control. Additionally, up to 48% of domestic violence victims reported delaying leaving their abusers because they feared what would happen to their pets if they had to leave them behind.
Serene Harbor President and CEO Beverly DeMeyer said, “RedRover’s grant enables us to relocate our in-house pet kennel outside to use the inside space for additional beds for survivors and their families. The outside pet kennels will also allow us to accept more pets than ever before.”
RedRover offers Safe Housing grants up to a maximum of $60,000 per grant. Funding may be used to build or renovate spaces dedicated to housing survivors’ pets, create a foster program to care for survivors’ pets, pay for temporary boarding for survivors’ pets, or a combination of services that will best serve the community. Grant funds may also be used for routine veterinary care, emergency veterinary care, and pet deposits. Safe Housing grant application deadlines are March 1, June 1, and September 1. To learn more, visit: RedRover.org/SafeHousing.
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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 education. Since 2012, RedRover has given 167 grants to shelters in 46 states, totaling more than $2.2 million and equaling more than 387,200 safe nights for pets. Additionally, Safe Housing grants have created the first pet-friendly domestic violence shelter in 10 states! To learn how RedRover is creating a more compassionate world, visit RedRover.org.
Contact: Sheri Madsen
916.600.8157 cell