Fort Worth's animal care and control department is working on a partnership with One Safe Place to temporarily house or foster pets belonging to the nonprofit's clients, so that having an animal at home does not stop a victim from getting help.
Chris McAllister, assistant director of the department, first described the plan at the city's Animal Shelter Advisory Committee meeting on Oct. 28, the Fort Worth Report reported Saturday in an account from its Documenters program. A memorandum of understanding is being drafted, and the partners are aiming for a soft launch in January.
One Safe Place, at 1100 Hemphill St., is a family justice center that puts several nonprofits serving victims of domestic violence and sex trafficking in one building. It logged 32,561 client visits, 1,281 client intakes and 4,068 referrals to other agencies in 2025, according to the Report.
Some domestic violence victims hesitate to leave an unsafe home because they do not want to abandon pets they consider family, the Report noted. The partnership would set up a process to give those animals a temporary place to stay.
At first, the partners plan to measure demand by adding questions about pet ownership to One Safe Place's intake process, and to work through the logistics confidentially to protect clients' identities, the Report said.
