RedRover Awards Grants to Shelters Serving Domestic Abuse Survivors, Homeless People & Pets

WASHINGTON — In the complex and often perilous landscape of domestic violence and homelessness, victims face a devastating calculus every day: seek safety, or protect a beloved pet. For millions of people, this is not a rhetorical choice; it is an agonizing reality. Statistics show that women experiencing domestic violence are four times more likely to experience homelessness. Yet, far too many choose to remain in volatile, life-threatening environments rather than flee, paralyzed by the fear that abandoning their pets means leaving them to face abuse, neglect, or euthanasia.

Ahead of Domestic Violence Awareness Month this October, the national animal welfare nonprofit RedRover is taking direct aim at this heartbreaking barrier. The organization announced today that it has awarded $404,311 in Safe Housing grant funding during its second grant cycle of 2026.

Thanks to critical support from Purina, anonymous donors, and ongoing partnerships, this latest round of funding will empower two domestic violence shelters, six homeless shelters, and one animal shelter to either create or significantly expand specialized programming for pets. These initiatives are designed to ensure that when human lives are upended by crisis, the entire family—four-legged members included—can find sanctuary together.

The Core Facts: Breaking Down the $404,311 Investment

The $404,311 infusion will be distributed across various facility types, directly altering how communities handle emergency response for vulnerable populations. The funding builds upon RedRover’s ongoing mission to bridge the gap between human social services and animal welfare.

• Total Funding Awarded: $404,311
• Total Facilities Funded: 9 shelters across the United States
  • 2 Domestic Violence Shelters (recipients of the RedRover + Purina Purple Leash Project grant)
  • 6 Homeless Shelters
  • 1 Animal Shelter
• Key Institutional Partners: Purina (via the Purple Leash Project), KONG® (providing toys and treats through 2026), and anonymous donors.

RedRover’s Safe Housing grants offer up to $60,000 per facility, giving shelters the financial elasticity required to build tailored, community-specific solutions. Whether that means installing outdoor exercise runs, upgrading HVAC systems for better air quality, setting up pet-washing stations, or securing temporary boarding options when fosters are scarce, the funding directly transforms bricks-and-mortar operations into inclusive sanctuaries.

Chronology and Context: The Evolution of the Safe Housing Movement

The struggle to keep pets and their owners together during a crisis is not a new problem, but the organized, systemic response to it has accelerated dramatically over the last decade.

• The Historical Paradigm: For generations, traditional domestic violence and homeless shelters maintained strict "no-pets" policies. Driven by health codes, liability concerns, and space limitations, shelters forced victims to choose between their own physical safety and the well-being of their animals.
• The Recognition of the Bond: Criminological and psychological studies increasingly highlighted the weaponization of pets by abusers. Batterers frequently threaten, injure, or kill family pets to coerce, control, or silence victims. Recognizing that animals are central to psychological healing and stability, advocates began lobbying for change.
• The Launch of RedRover’s Safe Housing Initiative: RedRover stepped into this void, establishing its Safe Housing grants to provide the capital necessary for shelters to adapt. A pivotal evolution came through the partnership with Purina to create the Purple Leash Project (PLP), specifically targeting domestic violence shelters—where only a small fraction of facilities nationwide permitted pets historically.
• The 2026 Second Grant Round: Today’s announcement represents the culmination of months of applications, reviews, and strategic planning. With deadlines occurring thrice annually (March 1, June 1, and September 1), RedRover continues to systematically dismantle systemic barriers to entry for unhoused and abused populations. Furthermore, partner contributions—such as KONG® supplying continuous shipments of toys and treats through 2026—ensure that the operational costs of pet care do not overwhelm the newly established programs.

Supporting Data: The Intersection of Abuse, Housing Insecurity, and Animal Welfare

The necessity of pet-inclusive sheltering is underscored by stark sociological and psychological data. When public policy fails to account for the human-animal bond, the consequences are profound:

• The Domestic Violence-Homelessness Pipeline: Survivors of domestic violence are four times more likely to experience homelessness than the general population, primarily because they are frequently forced to flee their homes with little to no financial resources.
• The Coercion Factor: Studies estimate that up to 48% of domestic violence victims delay leaving an abusive situation out of fear for the safety of their pets. Abusers know this and exploit the bond; research indicates that batterers threaten, batter, or kill pets in as many as 88% of families entering domestic violence safe houses.
• The Post-Crisis Impact: For unhoused individuals, pets often serve as the sole source of unconditional love, routine, and emotional regulation. Denying entry to a shelter based on pet ownership often results in individuals sleeping in cars, encampments, or unsafe outdoor environments rather than separating from their companions.

RedRover President and CEO Katie Campbell emphasized the life-saving nature of addressing these statistics directly.

"Shelters that offer pet housing understand that people are more likely to reach safety when they don’t have to leave a beloved pet behind," Campbell said. "Our grants give shelters the flexibility to build a program tailored to their community — one that lets the whole family, pets included, escape abuse or homelessness and find safety together."

Official Responses: Voices from the Frontlines

The announcement of the $404,311 in grants has drawn widespread praise from shelter executives and service providers across the country, who note that the funding arrives at a critical juncture for community outreach.

Domestic Violence Shelters

Traci Bledsoe, Executive Director of Peace Place:

"Support from RedRover and Purina’s Purple Leash Project has turned our idea for Paws for Peace into a reality. Survivors of domestic violence in our community will be able to seek safety without leaving a beloved pet behind. Paws for Peace will allow survivors, their children, and their pets to remain together, preserving an important source of comfort, stability, and healing as they begin rebuilding their lives. We are incredibly grateful for the funding and amazing support that RedRover and Purina’s Purple Leash Project have provided to Peace Place."

Marissa Bovee, Director of Development at TESSA:

"For many survivors, seeking safety can mean facing an impossible choice: remain in an abusive home or leave a beloved pet behind. Thanks to the RedRover + Purina Purple Leash Project grant, TESSA can help remove this significant barrier by creating safer options for survivors and their pets to escape abuse together. No one should have to sacrifice the safety of an animal they love to protect themselves or their children."

Molly Mooridian, Executive Director of The Bridge to Hope:

"RedRover’s support makes a meaningful difference for The Bridge to Hope and the survivors we serve. By helping us provide for pets staying in our emergency shelter, you’re making it possible for survivors to leave unsafe situations without having to leave their beloved animals behind. We are incredibly grateful for your partnership and the peace of mind it provides to families in crisis."

Homeless and Community Shelters

Vicki Chin, CEO and Founder of Stay Together Furever (Atlanta Area):

"The RedRover Safe Housing grant will be absolutely transformational to Stay Together Furever. It allows this small and fledgling, Atlanta-area nonprofit to potentially double the number of pets we can help in less than a year, expanding our service offerings to include a boarding solution when fosters are scarce, and providing the needed funding to be able to increase our geographic footprint to include DeKalb County, the fourth-largest county in Georgia by population."

Anthony D’Agostino, CEO of Peter and Paul Community Services:

"We are grateful to RedRover’s Safe Housing grant for helping PPCS operate the region’s only pet-friendly shelter for men. For many people experiencing homelessness, pets are family, and too often individuals forgo shelter because there is no safe place for their companions. This grant helps remove that barrier and ensures more of our unhoused neighbors can access shelter without leaving their best friend behind."

Keith Kozerski, Chief Program Officer for Catholic Charities Twin Cities:

"As the provider of some of the largest emergency shelters in the Twin Cities, our guests experiencing homelessness have told us that their beloved pets are more than companions — they are a source of comfort, stability, and unconditional support during an incredibly difficult time. This grant will help Catholic Charities Twin Cities remove a significant barrier to shelter access by creating a more pet-inclusive environment within our overnight shelters and day centers. By welcoming people and their pets together, we can connect more individuals to the safety, shelter, and services they need on their path to stability."

John Tribbett, Ending Homelessness Service Area Director for Avivo:

"RedRover’s Safe Housing Grant funding is a critical investment in ensuring that Avivo Village is at the forefront of comprehensive emergency shelter models that provide care for the individuals with the deepest levels of struggles. Pets are a critical member of many people’s families. It doesn’t matter if you have a home or not. Access to pet washing stations, exercise areas, and purposely built infrastructure means shelter guests will be able to care for a loved member of their family. It also means they will be able to get their pet ready for moving into a home. Everything at Avivo Village is designed to help people find a permanent place to live. That means their cherished pets too."

Eric Camarillo, CEO of SALT Outreach:

"Thanks to RedRover’s Safe Housing grant, SALT Outreach can further solidify our commitment to keeping families together by providing safe, accessible shelter solutions for both pets and their owners experiencing homelessness. This grant is more than just support; it is an opportunity to bridge the gap between crisis and stability, ensuring that those we serve never have to choose between a roof over their head and the unconditional love of their pet."

John Labieniec, LCSW, VP of Acute and Forensic Services for Continuum of Care, Inc.:

"We are grateful for RedRover’s Safe Housing grant; it will help our clients in our emergency shelter to keep their pets safe, healthy, and active, and ensure that our clients are able to take good care of their pets as they go through these difficult times in their lives."

Implications: The Macro-Level Impact on Public Safety and Social Work

The expansion of pet-friendly sheltering infrastructure carries profound implications that stretch far beyond animal welfare, directly intersecting with public health, social work, and community safety paradigms.

1. Lowering the Threshold for Help: When emergency shelters explicitly welcome animals, the psychological friction of seeking help drops dramatically. Survivors and unhoused individuals are more likely to initiate contact with crisis intervention teams earlier, potentially shortening the duration of abuse or street homelessness.
2. Trauma-Informed Care Integration: Traditional shelter models often forced a secondary trauma upon victims: the sudden, forced separation from a dependent animal who provided psychological grounding. Integrating pet care into shelter protocols is a vital component of modern, trauma-informed care that respects the holistic emotional landscape of the client.
3. Pathways to Permanent Housing: As noted by providers like Avivo, preparing pets for domestic life alongside their owners facilitates a smoother transition into permanent housing. Landlords are far more likely to accept applicants whose pets are vaccinated, well-socialized, and accustomed to structured community living.
4. A Blueprint for Future Policy: As non-governmental organizations like RedRover and corporate partners like Purina demonstrate the viability and safety of mixed-population shelters, municipal governments are increasingly encouraged to re-examine zoning laws, health codes, and public funding allocations to support pet-inclusive social services.

Looking Forward

With Domestic Violence Awareness Month approaching in October, the work being done by RedRover and its grantees serves as a powerful reminder that compassion must be comprehensive. By converting financial capital into physical infrastructure—kennels, runs, washing stations, and medical support—these programs ensure that no survivor is ever forced to make the unconscionable choice between personal survival and the life of a cherished animal friend.

Shelters interested in applying for future rounds of RedRover Safe Housing grants can find application guidelines and deadlines (March 1, June 1, and September 1) on the official RedRover website.