Safe Haven Sanctuary explains mission
Safe Haven Animal Sanctuary of Sussex County is committed to saving the lives of our county’s abused and abandoned animals on a large scale and making Sussex County a no-kill community for cats and dogs. This was and is the mission of our 501(c)(3) organization since it was founded in 2004. In order to do this we acquired 13 acres between Georgetown and Milton in 2005. From 2006-08 Safe Haven went through the rigor of acquiring all the necessary federal, state and local permits needed to be allowed to build on our site. We then spent over half a year raising money for and preparing our site, which included the creation of an almost quarter-of-a-mile-long road, a bridge over our wetland, grading, parking lots and a retention pond - all of which are now complete. 

This past year we have focused on both securing financing for the building construction and implementing some of the programs we will continue and expand when we open. While we are immensely grateful to all our generous continuing individual, foundation, business and volunteer donors, and could not do this project without their unwavering support, we have also come to a point were we found the need to finance the project to make it move ahead. Building a quality new shelter is, unfortunately, a long and arduous process.

According to the ASPCA, it takes five to eight years for the typical shelter to be built, and this statistic is for organizations that already have a building. So Safe Haven is in the norm for the standard planning-to-opening timeline of new shelter facilities around the county. While our “green,” LEED-certified, cage-free 19,500-square-foot building is slated to cost under $4 million; this is far below the norm of the cost of most new shelters. The Prince George’s shelter was just completed in Maryland for $13 million, while both the Connecticut SPCA and Humane Society are building shelters costing $8 million and $12 million. 

Our purpose is to have a solid, long-lasting, and completely animal-centered building that will be attractive, though not wasteful and frivolous, to potential adopters – thereby increasing adoptions. Safe Haven’s building is being constructed to the highest impact possible to help the largest number of animals; we will be housing around 400 at any given moment and will also provide approximately 10,000 spays/neuters for our community’s animals.

Anyone is welcome to look at our tax returns; they are available at guidestar.org. Safe Haven is also audited by an independent accounting firm every year. Further questions should be directed to us at 856-6460. While in the building process, Safe Haven has implemented programming that will be expanded once the shelter opens. We are concentrating on where we can make the most difference; with dogs, we are transporting former pound and chained dogs to shelters in northern New England, where they have done such a good job with spaying and neutering, their shelters actually have empty kennels. This past week we took five dogs off their chains of two-plus years and put them in foster care, and will be transporting them to Maine in January. 

For cats, Safe Haven is focusing on spaying and neutering feral/farm cats. This year, through the help of generous donors and volunteers, we have been able to Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) hundreds of our community’s cats. We are especially proud and grateful for our partnership with the Town of Greenwood, where for the first time ever there have been no new stray kittens born in town. Safe Haven has also created a Pet Food Pantry for the pets of limited-income individuals and the kind people who feed and care for multiple stray/farm cats. For a list of food drop-off locations, please see our website: safehavende.org. Safe Haven is in the process of bidding our facility’s construction and we look to be open by this time next year. 
We wish you and your “furmily” a healthy and happy new year.
Board of Directors
Safe Haven Animal Sanctuary of Sussex County Inc.