Sacramento, CA (December 6, 2018) – RedRover has awarded more than $120,000 in grant funds to 10 domestic violence shelters nationwide. These grants enable the shelters to create on- and off-site space to house pets through RedRover’s Safe Housing program.
Roughly only 12 percent of the domestic violence shelters in the United States house animals onsite in some capacity. Out of the 172 domestic violence shelters that do house pets, RedRover has provided 73 grants to assist their efforts over the last six years.
RedRover President & CEO Nicole Forsyth states, “RedRover is here to help keep people and their pets together in crisis. These grants enable domestic violence survivors to begin their healing process together with their beloved pet. Our goal is to ensure that each state has a pet-friendly domestic violence shelter so no one has to choose between safety and their family.”
RedRover grants provide essential funding to domestic violence shelters to help them build pet-friendly programs. The following shelters received Safe Housing grant awards during this application period:
- Domestic Abuse Project of Delaware County – Media, PA for $5,040
- Domestic Abuse and Sexual Assault Crisis Center of Warren County – Washington, NJ for $20,000
- Beloit Domestic Violence Survivor Center/ Family Services of S. WI & N. IL, Inc.– Beloit, WI for $9,650
- Stand Up Placer – Placer County, CA for $7,500
- Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Services (DVSAS) – Bellingham, WA for $6,000
- Center Against Sexual & Domestic Abuse, Inc. (CASDA) – Superior, WI for $12,200
- 180 Turning Lives Around – Hazlet, NJ for $17,363
- The Center for Child and Family Advocacy, Inc. (CCFA) – Napolean, OH for $20,000
- Tillamook County Women’s Resource Center – Tillamook, OR for $15,669
- Community Support Center – Dillon, MT for $7,033
According to research conducted by Dr. Frank Ascione, as many as 71 percent of pet-owning women entering domestic violence shelters report their abuser injured, killed or threatened family pets for revenge or psychological control, and up to 48 percent of domestic violence victims reported delaying leaving their abusers because they feared what would happen to their pets.
RedRover is working towards the goal of having at least one pet-friendly domestic violence shelter in each state. We urge 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.
Deadlines to apply for Safe Housing grants are May 15 and October 15 each year. To learn more, visit: 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 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 fourth consecutive year, RedRover has earned a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, America’s largest independent charity evaluator. To learn how RedRover is creating a more compassionate world, visit RedRover.org.
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Contact:
Sheri Madsen
916.429.2457 ext. 310
916.600.8157 cell
smadsen@redrover.org