Public Policy & NGOs
Here's a look at documents from public policy and non-governmental organizations
Featured Stories
WildEarth Guardians: Federal Court Sends Decision Authorizing Domestic Sheep Grazing In Bighorn Sheep Habitat Back to the Forest Service to Complete a New Analysis
SANTA FE, New Mexico, April 10 -- WildEarth Guardians issued the following news release on April 9, 2026:
* * *
Federal Court Sends Decision Authorizing Domestic Sheep Grazing In Bighorn Sheep Habitat Back to the Forest Service to Complete a New Analysis
The U.S. Forest Service ignored crucial data in its creation of the Wishbone Allotment on the Rio Grande National Forest, and must reassess risk of disease transmission to sensitive wild sheep
*
DENVER -- On Friday, a Colorado federal judge reinforced a major conservation victory for bighorn sheep conservation on the Rio Grande National Forest.
... Show Full Article
SANTA FE, New Mexico, April 10 -- WildEarth Guardians issued the following news release on April 9, 2026:
* * *
Federal Court Sends Decision Authorizing Domestic Sheep Grazing In Bighorn Sheep Habitat Back to the Forest Service to Complete a New Analysis
The U.S. Forest Service ignored crucial data in its creation of the Wishbone Allotment on the Rio Grande National Forest, and must reassess risk of disease transmission to sensitive wild sheep
*
DENVER -- On Friday, a Colorado federal judge reinforced a major conservation victory for bighorn sheep conservation on the Rio Grande National Forest.The court granted a motion to remand the decision to create the Wishbone Allotment back to the U.S. Forest Service, requiring thorough assessment before domestic sheep grazing can be authorized on the allotment.
Last spring, the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals found that the Forest Service unlawfully disregarded scientific evidence and arbitrarily altered the results of its disease 'Risk of Contact' modeling when it approved domestic sheep grazing on the Rio Grande National Forest near Creede, Colorado in 2018. The 10th Circuit sent the case back to the Colorado District Court to determine the appropriate remedy. The Forest Service had approved the creation of the Wishbone domestic sheep allotment in close proximity to bighorn sheep core habitats despite concluding in 2013 and 2015 that contact with domestic sheep posed a high level of disease risk to the area's bighorn sheep populations. The remand ensures that domestic sheep will remain off of the allotment unless the Forest Service can prove it's safe for bighorns, which is unlikely.
"Bighorn sheep on public land should be safe from the risk of lethal disease from domestic sheep, and federal agencies can't ignore the reality on the ground," said Delaney Rudy, Colorado Director for the Western Watersheds Project. "The court's remand affirms the Forest Service's responsibility to ensure commercial livestock grazing doesn't imperil native wildlife."
This contact is dangerous because of two deadly pathogens, Mannheimia haemolycta and Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae, that domestic sheep carry and transmit to bighorn sheep. Once a wild sheep is infected through contact with a domestic sheep, they carry that pathogen back to their herd and even to other herds, which can lead to catastrophic, all-age die-offs. There are currently at least seven bighorn herds in Colorado that are experiencing population collapse due to illnesses from domestic sheep.
"Bighorn sheep are core to Colorado's identity and living symbols of rugged, wild landscapes," said Laurie Rule, senior attorney at Advocates for the West, who represented conservation organizations in the lawsuit. "We're glad the court agreed that sending back the Forest Service decision authorizing domestic sheep grazing on the Wishbone Allotment is the correct remedy for the multiple legal violations found by the 10th Circuit. It's also the right thing to do so that we don't lose decades of progress to conserve a Western icon."
The Forest Service itself has recognized disease as "the greatest concern for bighorn sheep population persistence [in] the Rio Grande National Forest." Bighorn sheep on the Rio Grande National Forest are designated as a species of conservation concern, a designation that requires all agency actions to be analyzed for their potential impact to bighorn sheep and to maintain bighorn sheep population viability.
"This order from the court reinforces what should have been clear all along: our public lands must be managed based on science and for the benefit of wildlife, not bent to accommodate private interests," said Chris Krupp, public lands attorney with WildEarth Guardians. "Bighorn sheep pay the price when agencies ignore the risks of contact with domestic sheep, and this ruling makes clear that sacrificing wildlife for profit is not an acceptable tradeoff."
During the era of Western settlement, bighorn sheep were wiped out as pathogens carried by domestic sheep were transmitted to native bighorns. By the early 1900s, bighorns had vanished from several states, with only a few thousand remaining from an estimated historic population of 1.5 to 2 million. Following more than six decades of extensive and costly restoration efforts, bighorn sheep have now been recovered to approximately 10% of their historic range.
Four bighorn herds inhabit national forest lands near the newly-invented Wishbone Allotment: the San Luis Peak, Bellows Creek, Bristol Head and Rock Creek herds. Three other bighorn populations live within easy traveling distance for a bighorn ram: the Weminuche population to the south, the Natural Arch/Carnero population to the east, and the San Juan West population to the west. Overall, approximately 1,100 bighorn sheep that were at risk from domestic sheep grazing on the Wishbone Allotment are now spared from that threat.
In last spring's decision, the 10th Circuit held that the Forest Service's explanation for approving the Wishbone Allotment relied "on no science or data, and in fact contradicts the data in the record about bighorn sheep movement and permittees' compliance with project design features."
* * *
Original text here: https://wildearthguardians.org/press-releases/federal-court-sends-decision-authorizing-domestic-sheep-grazing-in-bighorn-sheep-habitat-back-to-the-forest-service-to-complete-a-new-analysis/
[Category: Environment]
WI GOP Finds Time for a Partisan Tantrum But Continues to Ignore Real Issues Facing Wisconsinites
MONONA, Wisconsin, April 10 -- A Better Wisconsin Together, a state-based research and communications hub for progressives, posted the following news release:
* * *
WI GOP Finds Time for a Partisan Tantrum but Continues to Ignore Real Issues Facing Wisconsinites
Republican lawmakers finally found the time to come back to the Capitol today. But it's not to help Wisconsinites.
*
After leaving Wisconsinites high and dry by adjourning this year's legislative session embarrassingly early and leaving mountains of work undone, Republican state lawmakers finally found the time to come back to the
... Show Full Article
MONONA, Wisconsin, April 10 -- A Better Wisconsin Together, a state-based research and communications hub for progressives, posted the following news release:
* * *
WI GOP Finds Time for a Partisan Tantrum but Continues to Ignore Real Issues Facing Wisconsinites
Republican lawmakers finally found the time to come back to the Capitol today. But it's not to help Wisconsinites.
*
After leaving Wisconsinites high and dry by adjourning this year's legislative session embarrassingly early and leaving mountains of work undone, Republican state lawmakers finally found the time to come back to theCapitol today. But it's not to help Wisconsinites. It's to throw a political tantrum.
The GOP-controlled state Senate Committee on Universities and Technical Colleges is meeting today in a calculated effort to meritlessly oust several qualified appointees to the UW Board of Regents, all because said appointees aren't an automatic rubber stamp for Republicans' hyper-partisan agenda.
Today's move from Republican lawmakers comes as they just ended one of the laziest legislative sessions in recent Wisconsin history, and they owe Wisconsinites action on an abundance of important bills.
A Better Wisconsin Together Deputy Director Mike Browne says Republican lawmakers need to get their priorities straight.
"Republican senators ended the legislative session for the year last month having failed to help families with priorities like rising costs on everything from groceries to health care and funding our public schools. Yet they had time today to come back to Madison to throw a partisan political tantrum," said Browne. "They ought to stop throwing fits and start actually fixing problems."
* * *
A Better Wisconsin Together is a state-based research and communications hub for progressives and is an affiliate of ProgressNow.
* * *
Original text here: https://abetterwisconsin.org/wi-gop-finds-time-for-a-partisan-tantrum-but-continues-to-ignore-real-issues-facing-wisconsinites/
[Category: Economics]
UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh Brings Pediatric Rehabilitation and Orthopaedic Services to Erie
PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania, April 10 -- The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center issued the following news release:
* * *
UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh Brings Pediatric Rehabilitation and Orthopaedic Services to Erie
UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh has opened UPMC Children's Rehabilitation Therapies in Erie, a new outpatient location that brings physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy together in one convenient space to better serve children and families in the region. Additionally, a new UPMC Children's pediatric orthopaedic clinic on State Street just opened
... Show Full Article
PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania, April 10 -- The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center issued the following news release:
* * *
UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh Brings Pediatric Rehabilitation and Orthopaedic Services to Erie
UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh has opened UPMC Children's Rehabilitation Therapies in Erie, a new outpatient location that brings physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy together in one convenient space to better serve children and families in the region. Additionally, a new UPMC Children's pediatric orthopaedic clinic on State Street just openedin March.
"Delivering high quality care close to home is central to our mission at UPMC Children's," said Diane Hupp, president of UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. "By continuing to expand both specialty and rehab therapy services in Erie, we are making it easier for families to access the full spectrum of pediatric care their children need, while strengthening the continuity of care available in this community."
The new location is adjacent to UPMC Children's second Specialty Care Center in Erie on Peach Street, creating a hub for coordinated pediatric care and making it easier for families to access multiple services during a single visit.
UPMC Children's Rehabilitation Therapies in Erie provides comprehensive outpatient rehabilitation services for children, from infancy through adolescence, including evaluation and treatment for developmental delays, injuries, neurological conditions and other diagnoses that benefit from pediatric therapy services.
The new location further builds on UPMC Children's growing presence in Erie, which includes a wide range of inpatient, outpatient, specialty and primary care services designed to meet the needs of children and families across northwest Pennsylvania. This includes inpatient pediatric care with a nine-bed pediatric unit at UPMC Hamot, as well as newborn care at UPMC Magee-Womens in Erie, which features a 16-bed newborn nursery and a 24-bed neonatal intensive care unit. Outpatient pediatric care in the region is also provided through UPMC Children's Express Care - Erie, pediatric emergency care services, two UPMC Children's Specialty Care Center locations and UPMC Children's Community Pediatrics offices throughout northwest Pennsylvania.
"Today, we add to our growing list of what differentiates us from other health care organizations in the region," said Lynn Rupp, regional chief operating officer, UPMC Physician Services Division and president, Regional Health Services. "The community relies on the nationally ranked expertise of UPMC Children's for unmatched pediatric care for children, which now includes physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy."
UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh is consistently recognized for its clinical, research, education and advocacy excellence and is nationally ranked in all pediatric specialties by U.S. News & World Report. UPMC Children's Rehabilitation Therapies in Erie brings the world-class expertise of UPMC Children's to the community with top-ranked specialty pediatric care within the region.
* * *
Original text here: https://www.upmc.com/media/news/040926-childrens-rehab
[Category: Health Care]
MacArthur Foundation Gifts $250,000 to the Organization of American Historians
BLOOMINGTON, Indiana, April 10 -- The Organization of American Historians issued the following news:
* * *
MacArthur Foundation gifts $250,000 to the Organization of American Historians
Gift recognizes the OAH as a leading institutional voice for U.S. historians and the public's understanding of, relationship to America's past
*
The Organization of American Historians (OAH) has received a $250,000 gift from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, reinforcing the organization's standing as a leading professional society representing historians of the United States. The gift will
... Show Full Article
BLOOMINGTON, Indiana, April 10 -- The Organization of American Historians issued the following news:
* * *
MacArthur Foundation gifts $250,000 to the Organization of American Historians
Gift recognizes the OAH as a leading institutional voice for U.S. historians and the public's understanding of, relationship to America's past
*
The Organization of American Historians (OAH) has received a $250,000 gift from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, reinforcing the organization's standing as a leading professional society representing historians of the United States. The gift willsupport the OAH's mission to advocate for and promote excellence in the scholarship, teaching, and public presentation of American history.
The MacArthur Foundation's support strengthens the OAH's capacity to meet a critical moment for the history profession and for the public's understanding of America's past, while supporting the OAH's ongoing and wide-ranging contributions to the production and dissemination of evidence-based history.
The OAH represents more than 5,000 historians working in the U.S. and abroad, including college and university professors, K-12 educators, public historians, museum professionals, archivists, and historians working in government and the private sector. The organization publishes the Journal of American History, a journal of record for the field, produces The American Historian magazine, convenes the annual Conference on American History, and maintains an extensive schedule of academic and public programming. Through its long-standing relationship with the U.S. National Park Service, the OAH brings unbiased, accurate, and rigorous historical scholarship to bear on the presentation of history at America's national park sites.
The OAH has intensified its advocacy efforts and project work in direct response to widespread national efforts to restrict, distort, censor, or erase aspects of America's historical record. Through the History, Archives, and Records Preservation Project (HARPP), a rapid-response network coordinated by OAH, the organization has mobilized historians, archivists, and educators to defend the integrity of federal records, public history sites, and evidence-based historical interpretation. In addition, the OAH launched the Federal Employees and Contractors Oral History Project (FECOHP), a multi-year initiative that is documenting and preserving the voices and experiences of federal workers impacted by unprecedented job losses and agency disruptions that began in January 2025.
"This support arrives at a defining moment for the profession, and we are grateful to the MacArthur Foundation," said Annette Gordon-Reed, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, the Carl M. Loeb University Professor at Harvard University, and current OAH president. "Historians aim to provide a complete and factual accounting of America's past, so people can learn from it, engage with it, and contribute to a more informed and fair society."
"This generous gift from MacArthur affirms that the work of preserving, teaching, and accurately presenting America's complex past is essential, and strengthens our democracy," said Dr. Beth English, executive director of the OAH. "This funding bolsters our ability to support historians, to stand up for the accuracy and integrity of the historical record, and to ensure that the public has access to our nation's story in all its complexity."
* * *
About the Organization of American Historians
Founded in 1907, the Organization of American Historians is the largest professional society dedicated to the teaching, scholarship, and presentation of United States history. Guided by the principles of advocacy, professional integrity, and the advancement of scholarship, the OAH serves historians and the public through publications, programming, professional development, and civic engagement. Learn more at oah.org.
About the MacArthur Foundation
The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is committed to building a more just, verdant, and peaceful world. Based in Chicago, the Foundation boldly invests in creative solutions to urgent challenges, sparking hope for our future, and striving toward transformative change on some of the world's most pressing social issues. Learn more at macfound.org.
* * *
Original text here: https://www.oah.org/2026/04/09/macarthur-foundation-gifts-250000-to-the-organization-of-american-historians/
[Category: Economics]
K-9 Stabbing in Solano County Prompts PETA Plea For Dog's Retirement and Department Overhaul
NORFOLK, Virginia, April 10 -- People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals issued the following news release:
* * *
K-9 Stabbing in Solano County Prompts PETA Plea For Dog's Retirement and Department Overhaul
Following reports that a K-9 named Ty was stabbed by a suspect after a failed traffic stop in Fairfield, PETA sent a letter today to Solano County Sheriff Brad DeWall, urging him to retire Ty--and for the use of police dogs to be phased out altogether. In the letter, PETA encourages the department to replace K 9s with state-of-the-art policing technology, such as tactical robots, drones,
... Show Full Article
NORFOLK, Virginia, April 10 -- People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals issued the following news release:
* * *
K-9 Stabbing in Solano County Prompts PETA Plea For Dog's Retirement and Department Overhaul
Following reports that a K-9 named Ty was stabbed by a suspect after a failed traffic stop in Fairfield, PETA sent a letter today to Solano County Sheriff Brad DeWall, urging him to retire Ty--and for the use of police dogs to be phased out altogether. In the letter, PETA encourages the department to replace K 9s with state-of-the-art policing technology, such as tactical robots, drones,and/or portable mass spectrometers. Several departments across the country use tactical robots, which can be deployed in situations that could otherwise result in serious injury or death for K-9s and human officers.
According to reports, a driver was traveling dangerously slow on Interstate 80 in Dixon, sparking a slow-speed chase into Fairfield after refusing to pull over. After the California Highway Patrol disabled the vehicle by deploying a spike strip, Ty was released to "assist with the arrest" and was repeatedly stabbed in the neck and leg by the suspect. Ty was taken to a local emergency veterinary clinic, stabilized, and transferred to UC Davis Veterinary Hospital for emergency surgery. He is now recovering at home.
"Human officers willingly take on the daily risks of their duties, but K-9s like Ty have no say in whether they're subjected to dangerously stressful or even life-or-death situations," says PETA Senior Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch. "Ty suffered through and survived a violent attack, and PETA is urging the Solano County Sheriff's Office to retire Ty immediately and seize this moment to reassess its use of dogs."
PETA--whose motto reads, in part, that "animals are not ours to abuse in any way"--points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.
* * *
PETA's letter to DeWall follows.
April 9, 2026
Sheriff Brad DeWall
Solano County Sheriff's Office
Via e-mail
Dear Sheriff DeWall:
I hope this message finds you well. I'm writing on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) regarding K-9 Ty, who was injured during a suspect pursuit. We understand that many K-9s are regarded as colleagues and members of their handlers' families, and we wish him a speedy recovery. Given this incident, would you please retire Ty and consider this an opportunity to reassess the use of dogs?
Ty is not the only K-9 who has been injured in the line of duty, but he's among the few who have survived. K-9 Sheik of the Wheeling Police Department in West Virginia recently died after she was struck by a car. A few months before Sheik died, K-9 Spike of the Burbank Police Department in California was fatally shot while pursuing a suspect who'd fled from a traffic stop. Earlier in the year, K-9 Rebel of the Albuquerque Police Department in New Mexico was shot during a suspect pursuit and died a short time later at an emergency veterinary clinic. K-9 Azi of the McKinney Police Department in Texas was fatally injured during an "exchange of gunfire" between officers and a suspect. There certainly have been more fatal assaults against K-9s that weren't reported publicly.
Unlike their human counterparts, K-9s do not sign up to risk their lives. They are loyal and protective, but they cannot consent to be used in violent encounters they did not cause or escalate. Veterinary experts and the U.S. military recognize that dogs like Ty, in addition to suffering the immediate physical pain and other effects of life-threatening injuries, can experience fear and anxiety from post-traumatic stress for the rest of their lives.
Will you please plan now to use state-of-the-art technology, such as tactical robots, drones, or portable mass spectrometers, which enhance safety and operational efficiency without risking anyone's life, once your current K-9s have been retired? Your department may be able to secure grant funding for new technology through the California Grants Portal, the DOJ Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), and the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program. You might also find private or equipment-specific grant funding opportunities through PoliceGrantsHelp.com.
Thank you for your consideration and for all that you do to keep your community safe.
Most respectfully,
Allison Fandl
Manager of Special Projects
Cruelty Investigations Department | PETA
* * *
Original text here: https://www.peta.org/media/news-releases/k-9-stabbing-in-solano-county-prompts-peta-plea-for-dogs-retirement-and-department-overhaul/
[Category: Animals]
Americans for Tax Reform: Georgia Passes Legislation Moving to 3.99% Flat Income Tax, Moving Closer to Zero
WASHINGTON, April 10 -- Americans for Tax Reform posted the following commentary on April 9, 2026, by Dennis Hull and Jack Guidi:
* * *
Georgia Passes Legislation Moving to 3.99% Flat Income Tax, Moving Closer to Zero
Republican lawmakers in Atlanta passed legislation last week moving Georgia closer to a 0% income tax, a win for taxpayers and businesses across the state. Thanks to Georgia's adoption of a flat income tax in 2022, every Georgian family and small business will see a tax cut as a result of this year's marquee income tax cut.
HB 463 will immediately lower the income tax to 4.99%
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, April 10 -- Americans for Tax Reform posted the following commentary on April 9, 2026, by Dennis Hull and Jack Guidi:
* * *
Georgia Passes Legislation Moving to 3.99% Flat Income Tax, Moving Closer to Zero
Republican lawmakers in Atlanta passed legislation last week moving Georgia closer to a 0% income tax, a win for taxpayers and businesses across the state. Thanks to Georgia's adoption of a flat income tax in 2022, every Georgian family and small business will see a tax cut as a result of this year's marquee income tax cut.
HB 463 will immediately lower the income tax to 4.99%from 5.09%, for the 2026 tax year. The legislation will also gradually decrease the income tax down to 3.99% over the next eight years, beginning in 2027. In addition, HB 463 raises standard deductions for joint filers from $24,000 to $30,000. It will rise $750 every year until it reaches $36,000. This legislation will put more money in taxpayers' pockets and continue to draw businesses into the state.
Georgia has already seen a significant growth in jobs over the past decade, and the legislation passed last Thursday will only strengthen their competitive advantage. People vote with their feet, and the fastest growing states in the county - such as Tennessee, North Carolina, Texas, South Carolina, and Florida - all have either eliminated their state income tax or have committed to eliminating it over the next few years. HB 463 puts Georgia on track to joining this cohort of low tax, high growth states.
HB 463 puts Georgia in a good position to make even more progress on income and property tax relief in the coming years. Leaders in the state Senate are already committed to fully eliminating the income tax over time. Meanwhile, 2026 saw strong momentum for a meaningful property tax levy limit that would have restricted local government spending to inflation plus population growth, ensuring residents no longer experience out-of-control increases in their property bills to fund unnecessary municipal spending. Such legislation would be model policy for states across the country if lawmakers enact it in 2027.
Momentum to eliminate the income tax for good is picking up steam in Georgia. Crucially, the two frontrunner GOP candidates for Governor in 2026 support the goal of becoming the next zero income tax state. Candidate and current Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones created the 'Georgia Senate Special Committee on Eliminating Georgia's Income Tax' in July 2025. Since then, he has been one of the strongest voices on eliminating the income tax. Candidate Rick Jackson has also repeatedly said on the campaign trail that lowering taxes will be his number one priority. He has endorsed a plan to eliminate the income tax all together, through a gradual reduction of the State's income tax over the course of eight years. This is a very similar plan to how HB 463 will gradually lower the income tax from 4.99% to 3.99%, through annual reductions.
Georgia is moving in the right direction. Thanks to the leadership of Rep. Shaw Blackmon, Sen. Blake Tillery and Speaker Jon Burns, tax cuts passed this year by the House and Senate will benefit working class familiesthrough reductions to the state's flat income tax, while drawing more business investment and new residents into the state. However, as more states join the race to zero income tax (including neighboring South Carolina that passed a bill this year to move to zero), Georgia must not rest on its laurels, or risk falling behind.
* * *
Original text here: https://atr.org/georgia-passes-legislation-moving-to-3-99-flat-income-tax-moving-closer-to-zero/
[Category: Political]
AWI Grant Helping to Expand Resources for Domestic Violence Survivors and Their Pets in Illinois
WASHINGTON, April 10 [Category: Animals] -- The Animal Welfare Institute issued the following news release:
* * *
AWI Grant Helping to Expand Resources for Domestic Violence Survivors and Their Pets in Illinois
The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) is pleased to announce Oasis Women's Center as the recipient of its 2026 Safe Havens for Pets Desert Grant to expand sheltering resources for the pets of domestic violence survivors in underserved communities.
Following a rigorous analysis of national data, AWI identified Illinois as a "safe haven desert"--an area that lacks adequate sheltering services
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, April 10 [Category: Animals] -- The Animal Welfare Institute issued the following news release:
* * *
AWI Grant Helping to Expand Resources for Domestic Violence Survivors and Their Pets in Illinois
The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) is pleased to announce Oasis Women's Center as the recipient of its 2026 Safe Havens for Pets Desert Grant to expand sheltering resources for the pets of domestic violence survivors in underserved communities.
Following a rigorous analysis of national data, AWI identified Illinois as a "safe haven desert"--an area that lacks adequate sheltering servicesfor pets of domestic violence survivors. This grant cycle, organizations in the state had the opportunity to apply for up to $20,000 through a competitive process.
Oasis Women's Center, which serves five counties in Illinois, is using AWI's grant to help establish a Companion Animal Support Program for survivors of domestic abuse. The project involves renovating the existing shelter to include pet-friendly spaces, launching a new foster program, funding off-site boarding services for dozens of pets of survivors, conducting outreach in rural communities, and expanding community partnerships.
Programs of this kind are desperately needed in Illinois, which ranks among the bottom 10 states for available domestic violence resources for people with pets. In 2024, the Illinois Domestic Violence Hotline received nearly 60,000 calls, texts, or instant messenger chats from survivors, with shelter being the most requested resource. In recent years, the state has also seen a dramatic rise in the number of deaths caused by domestic violence.
Decades of research have documented the profound and devastating link between animal abuse and domestic violence. Abusers commonly exploit partners' love for their pets as a means of manipulating or controlling them; in various surveys of domestic violence survivors with pets, up to 89% have revealed that their companion animals were also threatened, harmed, or even killed. Survivors consistently report that they delayed leaving a dangerous situation because they had no access to or awareness of a place where their pet would be safe.
"When Oasis Women's Center announced we would begin accepting pets, the response was immediate," said Jenna Giess, executive director of Oasis Women's Center. "Within two days, we welcomed two dogs and one cat into shelter alongside survivors who shared that they would have never left their abuser without knowing their pets could come too."
In a 2021 survey from the National Domestic Violence Hotline, 50% of survivors reported that they would not consider seeking shelter if they could not take their pets with them--making the existence and public awareness of pet-friendly sheltering resources critical for survivors' safety. Since 2011, AWI has operated the Safe Havens for Pets directory, which provides a searchable database of more than 1,200 programs nationwide designed to help individuals who are experiencing domestic violence and/or homelessness find resources for their pets.
"Ten years ago, only about 3% of domestic violence shelters in the United States were pet-friendly," said Claire Coughlin, director of AWI's Companion Animals Program. "While this percentage has improved, there is still much progress to be made. We are thankful to Oasis Women's Center for its efforts to expand their desperately needed services in Illinois so that more survivors can find safety alongside their beloved companion animals."
During the previous grant cycle, AWI awarded Safe Havens for Pets Desert Grants to two organizations, one based in Mississippi and the other in North Dakota, states that are also under-resourced. Both recipients--the Tupelo-Lee Humane Society and the Rape Abuse and Crisis Center in Fargo--subsequently established pet-friendly sheltering services for domestic violence survivors in their areas.
Additional grant opportunities will be announced later this year.
* * *
The Animal Welfare Institute (awionline.org) is a nonprofit charitable organization founded in 1951 and dedicated to alleviating animal suffering caused by people. We seek to improve the welfare of animals everywhere: in agriculture, in commerce, in our homes and communities, in research, and in the wild. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Bluesky, and LinkedIn for updates and other important animal protection news.
* * *
Original text here: https://www.awionline.org/press-releases/awi-grant-helping-expand-resources-domestic-violence-survivors-and-their-pets
