Courtesy of Safe Haven pet sanctuary in Green Bay, Wisconsin
A cat shelter in Green Bay has opened its doors to anyone seeking shelter from the Siberian temperatures pummeling the Midwest this week.
Safe Haven Pet Sanctuary typically takes in felines in need of special assistance and care for blindness or other disabilities, but with warming shelters so crowded they’re turning people away, management has decided to open its doors to humans as well.
“We are a safe haven for everyone who needs a place. It’s getting cold out there. A cat will warm your heart and your lap, too. Come on in and warm up. All are welcome,” said President of the Board of Directors of Safe Haven, Joe Becker.
A cold snap has brought extreme lows of -19°F overnight (-28C). At that temperature, all it takes is a gust of wind to put unsheltered individuals at risk of hypothermia and death,.
Mr. Becker told Green Bay’s Press Times that the founder of Safe Haven received word from a friend who worked in the city’s social services department that the warming shelters for homeless residents were overcrowded, and that employees were turning people away.
The founder, Elizabeth Feldhausen, responded with a directive to tell anyone who couldn’t get a spot in the shelters that they could come to Safe Haven to get out of the cold.
A 501(c)3, Safe Haven relies on community support in more than one way, but a local pastor and her husband have redoubled their generosity by offering to stay overnight at the sanctuary in order to supervise the arrivals.
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“She brings in people that she trusts and we let them sleep on the couch last night overnight, rather than out on the streets, where the chances of freezing to death in these temperatures is not small. This is legitimately dangerous weather,” said Becker.
The shelter is used to welcoming walk-ins, and is typically open to anyone looking to relax or study. It offers couches and free Wi-Fi, available with just two conditions: you have to be nice to others, and you have to be nice to the cats.
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