Crossroads Safehouse’s Safehouse Safekeep Program Expands Offerings to Pets

One of the many barriers that keep victims of domestic violence from fleeing an abusive household is being able to keep their four-legged friends safe. With limited resources, victims who find the courage to leave flee with the clothes on their back and nowhere to permanently reside. Add a pet into the mix and that increases the difficulty to find a warm, welcoming, and safe place that will take in a pet. Sadly, many victims are forced to stay in an abusive relationship rather than leave their pet.

In recognizing the need to provide emergency housing for both humans and animals, Crossroads Safehouse recently announced a strategic partnership with Larimer Human Society and their “Better Together” program. This new programmatic partnership has been named the Safehouse Safekeep Program. It will allow survivors seeking shelter through Crossroads Safehouse to have temporary boarding available for up to two weeks at the Larimer Humane Society.

“With this partnership, we are offering victims an option to keep their pets safe while they plan for their future free of abuse,” explained Lisa Poppaw, Executive Director of Crossroads Safehouse. “We are grateful to Larimer Humane Society for their willingness to partner with us in this endeavor.”

When only 3% of domestic abuse shelters nationwide provide outlets for pets as well as humans, a program like Safehouse Safekeep is very progressive. In the coming years, we are hopeful that partnerships like this will catch on and other domestic violence emergency shelters, like Crossroads Safehouse, will partner with animal shelters so that barriers to seeking live-saving services are eliminated.