Five Safe Housing Grants Awarded for On-Site Pet Housing at Domestic Violence Shelters
Press Release – 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, CA for $760
- Faith House, Inc. – Lafayette, Louisiana for $1,519
- Women’s Transitional Living Center, Inc. – Fullerton, California for $6,000
- WEAVE, Inc. – Sacramento, CA for $3,879
- RISE San Luis Obispo County – Paso Robles, CA 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.
