Emergency Housing

Allows SVAS to provide care and shelter for animals whose owner is fleeing a domestic violence situation, or a situation in which homelessness is the result of unforeseen circumstances. The Emergency Housing program has helped over 100 families in the community and continues to be a program that works directly with the Domestic Violence Crisis enter, YWCA, and Sheriff’s Department in Ward County.

Did you know that domestic violence and animal welfare are often related?

• 52 percent of victims in shelters leave their pets with their batterers
  (National Coalition Against Domestic Violence)
• Up to 48 percent of domestic violence victims are unable to escape their abusers because they are concerned about what will happen to their pets when they leave
  (Ascione, F.R., 2007)
• 71 percent of pet-owning women entering women’s shelters reported that their batterer had injured, maimed, killed or threatened family pets for revenge or to psychologically control victims; 32 percent reported their children had hurt or killed animals
  (National Coalition Against Domestic Violence)