Safe at Home - Engaging Communities
The innovative Safe at Home program saves the lives of kittens, who are the most often euthanized in shelters. Unweaned, newborn kittens are an estimated 20% to 40% of the cats impounded in municipal shelters. Because they require bottle feeding and round-the-clock continuous care which most shelters do not have the staff or resources to provide, these kittens are most at risk of euthanasia.
Safe at Home empowers community members to serve as foster care givers, playing an integral part in saving animal lives. At the South Los Angeles shelter, Stray Cat Alliance community engagement counselors intercept people, before kittens are impounded, and mentor and support them as fosters, providing training on all aspects from bottle feeding through adoption. The program also supplies all food and medical care. This is one of the few programs of its kind in the United States but it doesn't have to be! The hope is to expand to as many communities as possible.
April and Stephanie will share how their lived experiences informs their engagement with community members. It can be discouraging for community members to seek help at the shelter and be told they're doing something wrong. They take the time to talk to people about the reality of rescue, shelters, fostering, adopting, TNR, and how this work can't be done without the public's help. They encourage everyone to become an advocate in their community and share practical ways to start.
About Community Conversations:
Maddie’s Fund hosts a weekly hour-long Zoom call for animal well-being professionals. These calls are a collaborative space to share exciting new programs and research, discuss uncomfortable topics, connect with peers in the industry, and more, all while sharing a common goal of preserving the human-animal bond.
This call, recurring each Monday unless otherwise posted, is for executive directors, animal well-being leaders, shelter workers, pet support professionals, volunteers, and rescue organizations.
The registration link is: https://maddies.fund/CommunityConversationsRegistration2025
All calls are recorded and uploaded to the Community Conversations page on Maddie’s Pet Forum https://forum.maddiesfund.org/communityconversations
Enter for a chance to win up to $10,000.
Each month, Maddie's Fund will be giving away up to $10,000 in grants. You can enter to win each time you attend a call or watch on-demand during the month by completing the giveaway drawing entry forms shared in the chat during the calls.
Please Note: All views expressed on these calls are not necessarily endorsed by Maddie’s Fund.
#Education and Training
#Organizational Management
#People Management (including Volunteer Integration)
#Pet Support Services *
#Education and Training
#AdmissionsandIntake(includingIntake-to-placement)#EducationandTraining#FosterPrograms