FORT WAYNE, Ind. (ADAMS) – Thanks to a $52,000 Safe Housing Grant from RedRover, Humane Fort Wayne will be expanding its accommodations for pets of domestic violence survivors.
For several years, Humane Fort Wayne has partnered with YWCA Northeast Indiana to provide foster services for pets whose families are escaping domestic violence. However, space constraints at Humane Fort Wayne’s Hanna Street shelter have kept the program limited.
Humane Fort Wayne released the following:
Now, with the construction of a new shelter facility at 901 Leesburg Road, Humane Fort Wayne plans to utilize the Hanna Street location as a pet-related social services hub, offering a variety of supportive services to keep pets and people together – including this expanded safe housing option.
The grant will be used to create a fully furnished living space (providing a more home-like environment for families visiting their pet), as well as renovate an outdoor canine play yard with new privacy fencing for enhanced security, gazebo, and canine enrichment options.
Humane Fort Wayne Executive Director Jessica Henry-Johnson said, “We’re very grateful to RedRover for this critical funding which will allow us not only to significantly increase the number of families we’ll serve, but – equally as important – enable us to create family-friendly indoor and outdoor spaces that will give additional comfort to domestic violence survivors and pets during difficult times.”
“YWCA Northeast Indiana is honored and excited to be partnering with Humane Fort Wayne through the Red Rover Safe Housing grant program. Our goal is to eliminate barriers for survivors seeking services wherever we can. Through this partnership, pets of survivors of domestic violence living in YWCA’s shelter will be boarded at Humane Fort Wayne and cared for by their excellent staff. Furthermore, though the partnership, YWCA and Humane Fort Wayne will work together to ensure that survivors can also visit their pets easily at Humane Fort Wayne for as long as they are there,” said Paula Hughes-Schuh, YWCA Northeast Indiana’s CEO.
With the generosity of PetSmart Charities, RedRover launched the 25 by 2025 campaign with Greater Good Charities and Purina. This national initiative aims to help 25% of domestic violence shelters to become pet friendly by 2025. In 2023, RedRover awarded over $1.1 million dollars in Safe Housing grants to further this goal.
RedRover Director of Outreach and Collaboration, Katie Campbell, said, “We are so proud to play a role in helping more survivors and their pets escape abusers. Knowing as more shelters become pet friendly, more lives will be saved – and that is what drives us with each grant awarded.”
To learn more about the program or see a full list of Humane Fort Wayne’s services, visit humanefw.org.
Pets and Domestic Violence:
● As many as 71% of pet-owning women entering DV shelters reported their abuser injured, killed, or threatened family pets (F.R. Ascione)
● Up to 48% of DV victims reported delaying leaving an abuser for fear of what would happen if they left their pets behind (F.R. Ascione)
● 91% of survivors indicated their pets’ emotional support and physical protection are significant in their ability to survive and heal
● Nearly 19% of DV shelters nationwide are pet friendly (“pet friendly” means shelters can accept companion animals/pets, in addition to service and emotional support animals
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