IONIA COUNTY, Mich. — According to the National Domestic Violence Hotline, roughly 24 people experience domestic violence every minute in the United States, totaling more than 12 million people each year. Leaving an abusive situation is not easy, and for many, a pet can be one of the biggest barriers.
Haley McLean is working to change that with Hope's 2nd Chance Animal Sanctuary.
The nonprofit aims to care for those often-forgotten family members, so their owners don't have to choose between safety and the animals they love.
"It's a huge barrier," McLean said. "A lot of women or domestic violence survivors do not leave because they're scared of where their pets will go."
The nonprofit is named after McLean's golden retriever Chance, who helped inspire the mission.
"He's my family," McLean explained. "I realized, like, I could not ever leave him...so he's really the thought behind Hope's 2nd Chance."
Thanks to generous donors and various fundraisers, Hope's 2nd Chance provides temporary housing and veterinary care, giving owners the time and space to start over.
"Financial abuse is a huge thing with domestic violence, and so we don't charge them," McLean said. "[The animals] get a lot of love and attention. They're taking well care of and then... they get to go back to their homes and just be with their owners."
The need for the service is great.
"We started offering services in May of 2021," McLean said. "We housed many animals for about 18 months, and then we realized that funding was going to be a huge need."
After taking time to regroup, McLean said they are back and growing. She is currently renovating barns on her property to accommodate more pets, creating more second chances not only for the animals but for the people working to reclaim their lives.
"We're trying to get the word out to survivors that we are here and that they do have an option," McLean said. "There's such a need for this, and so we would like to be able to expand and have more space, and be able to serve all of Michigan, at least, because we are the only nonprofit that does this, that focuses on these survivors."
Hope's 2nd Chance Animal Santuary currently serves Mid-Michigan and West Michigan.
This month, a virtual fundraiser called "Miles for Hope" is helping to support the mission.
McLean said they are accepting pets as space allows, but there is also a big need for people who do not currently have pets to foster animals.
To learn more about Hope's 2nd Chance Animal Sanctuary, visit the website or Facebook page.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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