RSPCA Welcomes Government Support for Safe Beds Program

The RSPCA welcomes today’s announcement by Jacquie Petrusma, Minister for the Prevention of Family Violence, that the state government will provide funding of $100,000 over two years to expand the operations of our Safe Beds Program.

This program assists people escaping abusive relationships by caring for their companion animals, whilst they recover and re-establish their lives and their homes. We have also cared for the pets of people experiencing temporary homelessness due to the tightening housing situation and the difficulty of finding rental properties which will accept their furry friends. In some cases, we have also looked after the pets of people needing emergency in-patient care, where they have no access to family or other community support.

Since establishing our Safe Beds program late last year, we have taken care of 55 companion animals of people in temporary distress. The average length of stay in our program for these animals is 68 days.

As a state-wide organisation, with a respected reputation and a proven commitment to providing emergency care for animals, we are well positioned to play our part in supporting the government deliver their victim-survivor program – and we are excited to be partnering with the state government to provide this essential service.

This commitment is great news for people fleeing domestic violence or facing other at-risk situations – and for their best friends, furry or feathered.