Pet and Women Safety (PAWS) Act Funding

Pet and Women Safety (PAWS) Act Funding.

WASHINGTON, DC (April 16, 2020) – The PAWS Act Coalition, a group of nonprofit and for-profit organizations, is working to raise awareness among the domestic violence shelter community of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Emergency and Transitional Pet Shelter and Housing Assistance Grant Program. This program will support shelter and transitional housing services for survivors of domestic violence and their companion animals. This was made possible by the passage of the Pet and Women Safety (PAWS) Act by Congress in 2018.

PAWS Act funding

“The PAWS Act funding and new grants mark an important milestone in keeping more pets and their families together,” said Nina Leigh Krueger, president of Nestlé Purina PetCare. “Purina is committed to continuing to work alongside our partners to increase the number of pet-friendly domestic violence shelters. Families and their pets can safely leave an abusive situation and heal together.”

“With incidents of domestic violence increasing as a result of coronavirus. The need for pet-friendly sheltering will also grow. This funding could not have come at a better time,” said Steven Feldman, Executive Director of the Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI). “HABRI is proud to have participated in the successful implementation of the lifesaving PAWS Act. The PAWS Act Coalition and the greater pet care community have worked hard to make this grant program a reality.”

The U.S. Department of Justice

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) will provide up to five grants of $400,000 each, to begin on October 1, 2020. The primary goal of this funding is to support shelter and transitional housing services for survivors of domestic violence and their companion animals. With these grants, the DOJ seeks to increase the number of shelter beds and transitional housing options. Funding provided by this grant will also provide training to local stakeholders. Includes:

• the link between domestic violence and the abuse and neglect of companion animals.
• the needs of domestic violence survivors;
• best practices for providing, or referring, support services to such survivors; and
• best practices in designing and delivering services that protect survivors confidentiality
• The U.S. Department of Justice will accept applications for this grant program through May 29, 2020. The PAWS Act Coalition will work to share this funding opportunity as widely as possible.

To apply for funding, please visit: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=325887.

Organizations in the PAWS Act coalition include:

• Purina (Nestlé Purina PetCare)
• Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI)
• Noah’s Animal House
• Pet Partners
• Urban Resource Institute (URI)
• RedRover

Two of these organizations, Noah’s Animal House and Urban Resource Institute, are part of the only 10% of domestic violence shelters across the country that actively offer co-shelter services to keep both pets and their owners away from the dangers of domestic abuse. Together these two incredible organizations have saved more than 1,800 pets from abusive conditions, so that no domestic violence survivor is forced to choose between staying in an abusive relationship and leaving their pet with their abuser.

“Our People and Animals Living Safely (PALS) program and its increasing utilization across seven domestic violence shelters in New York City is a proof point that pet-friendly shelter is an important avenue of escape for people and pets facing abuse, channeling the healing power of the human-pet bond during times of crisis and transition,” said Nathaniel Fields, President and CEO of Urban Resource Institute. “This critical funding provided by the PAWS Act will provide more facilities with the resources to offer individuals and their beloved pets shelter together, with the opportunity to live the safest, fullest lives possible.”