LifeLine Animal Project Selected for Nationwide Program to Transform U.S. Animal Sheltering System

LifeLine Animal Project has been selected as one of 12 national shelters to be part of Human Animal Support Services (HASS), a new national coalition pilot program creating community-based solutions to animal sheltering and pet ownership and transforming the shelter system through innovative programs and services. HASS builds off of support that animal shelters experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Organizations across the country, including LifeLine Animal Project, which manages Animal Services in Fulton and DeKalb Counties, were embraced by their communities who fostered pets, adopted, helped lost or found animals get back to their homes and identified new resources to keep people and their pets together. 

HASS pilot centers will provide a range of services and solutions to support their communities. These include remote services like veterinary telehealth and text support, lost animal return-to-owner initiatives, foster care programs, behavioral and training services, and much more. 

The following progressive, lifesaving organizations were selected based on their demonstrated track records of successfully implementing positive changes for pets in their communities and shelters:  LifeLine Animal Project (GA), Cabot Animal Services (AR), Charlotte-Mecklenburg Animal Care and Control (NC), El Paso Animal Services (TX), Fresno Humane Animal Services (CA), Greenville County Animal Care (SC), Humane Rescue Alliance (DC & NJ), Kansas City Pet Project (MO), Los Angeles Animal Services (CA), Oakland Animal Services (CA), Pima Animal Care Center (AZ) and San Diego Humane Society (CA).

“We are honored to be part of this collaboration of innovative shelters to work toward an organizational model that has goals so closely aligned with our community vision,” says LifeLine CEO Rebecca Guinn. “I’m confident that this initiative will help pave the way for a new model of animal sheltering in the U.S.” 

“We’re bringing thought leaders and experts in fields like human social work and public health alongside animal welfare, researchers to create the community animal support centers of the future,” says Lisa LaFontaine, Chief Executive Officer of the Humane Rescue Alliance in Washington, DC and a member of the HASS executive leadership team. “The impacts of COVID-19 have accelerated our efforts to modernize animal services and we now must dedicate the immediate energy of our movement to accomplish our urgent goal.”

HASS is led by American Pets Alive! and powered by partners including Maddie’s Fund, South Fork Foundation, Michelson Found Animals Foundation, and Petfinder. For more information on LifeLine’s HASS initiatives, please visit LifeLineAnimal.org/human-animal-support-services.  For more information about HASS, go to humananimalsupportservices.org.