Sheltering Animals & Families Together: Start-up Manual - Promising Futures

Start-Up manual shared for the April 7, 2021 and May 5, 2021 webinars titled Supporting Family Resiliency through Relationships with Animals Part 1: Sheltering Animals & Families Together (SAF-T)® – A global life-saving initiative for survivors of domestic violence and titled Supporting Family Resiliency through Relationships with Animals Part 2: Sheltering Animals & Families Together (SAF-T)®– Actionable Insights from the Field. Hosted by Futures Without Violence in partnership with Sheltering Animals & Families Together (SAF-T)®.

This manual was written by nationally-recognized animal and family advocate Allie Phillips. It contains the guidelines that she began developing in the mid-1990’s as a prosecuting attorney. In response to seeing too many domestic violence victims return to their abuser in order to protect their pet, she knew that something needed to change in housing victimized families who have pets. While employed with the National District Attorneys Association (2003-2007) she trained child protection professionals on the concept. And when she joined the American Humane Association in 2007 as the vice president of public policy then as vice president of human-animal strategic initiatives, she launched the concept in February 2008 as the Pets and Women’s Shelters (PAWS)® Program. Although American Humane discontinued the program in September 2010, this concept has saved too many lives to end. Now as Sheltering Animals & Families Together (SAF-T)™, her legacy continues in guiding and assisting family violence shelters on how to safely house family pets on-site.