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Shelter Reform Action Committee (SRAC) on Facebook
| Shelter Reform Action Committee (SRAC) ShelterReform.org: Everything you ever wanted to know about the AC&C, but were afraid to ask. |
Mayor's Alliance Reduces Subsidies To Its Members As its Maddie's Fund grant monies wind down, the Mayor's Alliance has reduced its subsidies to members. However, the Alliance recently notified its members that those subsidies will be further reduced to offset cuts to the AC&C's budget. The Alliance's will apply these additional subsidy cuts to allow the AC&C to co......ntinue to provide key services without charge to rescuers (microchips, SNAP, heartworm tests). While the AC&C is in dire financial shape, let's not forget that rescuers are also feeling the sting of the current economy. It has become more and more expensive for them to nurse animals back to health after they've caught upper respiratory infections at the AC&C. Rescuers are also slammed with expensive kenneling fees as their network of fosters and adopters steadily dry up. While the Mayor's Alliance monies will help the AC&C's medical staff, rescuers will nevertheless suffer. This is the announcement: |
| Dear Maddie's Pet Partners. The Alliance will be sending out the January/February 2010 Above Baseline Adoption subsidies in the next few day. At the beginning of the year I sent an email with reporting forms as well as what we projected would be the subsidy amounts: $195 for Above Baseline adoptions of AC&C dogs or cats $39 for Above Baseline Adoptions of public dogs or cats Maddie's' Fund only requires the Alliance to reimburse Maddie's Pet Partners (MPPs) $147 for AC&C adoptions ( 60% of $245 that we are receiving in 2010). Since 2005 the Alliance has always managed to work out a way to distribute more funds than the Maddie's Fund grant provides for AC&C above baseline adoptions to MPPs. However, as you may know the AC&C is now facing budget cuts imposed by the NYC Department of Health (DOH). Unless the AC&C budget cuts are restored by the DOH which is unlikely, the AC&C will not be able to continue to provide the additional services not required by law that they have been providing to animals transferred to rescue groups and other shelters. These services include: microchips, SNAP and heart worm tests. In most if not all other shelters across the country these costs for these types of services are typically passed onto the rescue groups to help offset these expenses. Therefore, Maddie's Fund subsidies were designed in part to reimburse rescue groups taking transfers for payments made by the recue groups to animal control agencies. These payments range anywhere from $25 to $75. This was also designed to ensure that animal control agencies (that are only eligible for the public subsidy amount) can maintain transfers to the rescue groups by offsetting the expenses associated with the additional services provided to animals transferred from AC&C to the rescue groups. So to help offset the costs of these services provided by the AC&C the 2010 reimbursement will be $175 with the additional $20 redirected by the Alliance directly to AC&C to help reimburse the AC&C for those services which have up until this year been provided for free. Rather than putting the administrative burden and cost on AC&C to collect payments from rescue groups for transfers in 2010 of $20 per dog or cat and on the challenge to rescue groups to come up with out of pocket funds at the time of transfer, the Alliance will provide those funds to AC & C by deducting $20 from the MPPs' Above Baseline Adoption subsidies that are distributed every 2 months. This will also have the advantage of reducing in advance the out of pocket costs to rescue groups, since groups take out more than they adopt each month and the costs of these services provided by AC&C would be considerably higher outside of the AC&C. If anyone has any questions, you can contact Jane Hoffman, President at info@animalalliancenyc.org. |
| NEW AC&C EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR JULIE BANK HOSTS OPEN HOUSE FOR AC&C RESCUERS, VOLUNTEERS AND FRIENDS On April 28, 2010, just three weeks after her arrival, AC&C Executive Director Julie Bank hosted an open house at the Manhattan shelter for AC&C volunteers, rescuers, and friends. This was a great way to introduce herself. The first hour was an informal meet ‘n greet, and Bank appeared genuinely interested in speaking with the various attendees. She was friendly and accessible. The second hour was reserved for a tour (conducted by Richard Gentles, AC&C Communications Director) of the new HVAC system and shelter renovations. However, several attendees began to pepper Bank and Gentles with questions and complaints: e.g., lack of funding, volunteers, kennel staff, adoption staff and medical staff; quality of SAFER testing, and Feline Enrichment; policy of giving away cats for free; rescuers’ medical costs to nurse AC&C animals back to health, etc. Bank calmly responded that all are important issues -- but she needs to prioritize them. She said that anyone wanting to voice complaints or recommendations should e-mail her (JBank@nycacc. org ), though she couldn’t promise to be able to respond immediately. One rescuer good-humoredly welcomed Bank, assured her that everyone present was pleased to have her aboard, but warned that they couldn’t resist venting. Bank took it all in stride. In response to funding complaints, Bank stated that the AC&C’s budget is nowhere near the national average of $6 per capita as reported by the Humane Society of the U.S. Patrick Kwan of the HSUS was present, and urged people to write their City Council representatives to ask for AC&C funding. Bank also warned that only a portion of the recent $1 million grant from the ASPCA to the Mayor’s Alliance will actually go to the AC&C, as the Mayor’s Alliance also subsidizes activities outside of the AC&C. She noted that by next year, the AC&C will be operating on a reduced budget of $7 million. [NOTE: $7 million translates into an 83 cents per capita funding, far from the $6 per capita national average.] Bank said she had asked Gentles to be in charge of Development (i.e., Fundraising). [SRAC notes that fundraising is of vital importance for the AC&C, requiring expertise and innovative ideas.] In response to questions about the Medical Department, Bank explained that Medical Director Dr. Stephanie Janeczko will be wearing a new hat for the next few weeks. Dr. Janezcko will review the AC&C’s operations and suggest ways to cut down on the spread of disease. Bank said that once Dr. Janeczko had issued her recommendations, she would resume her duties as Medical Director and (budget providing) an Operations Manager would be hired. When describing the new HVAC system at the Manhattan Shelter, Gentles explained how air quality would be greatly improved. [NOTE: The HVAC project at the Manhattan Shelter, a former factory, was years delayed in starting, and the actual construction is currently 5 months overschedule. ] The first floor is still under construction, so the meeting was held on the second floor. The obvious renovations to that floor, in addition to new air vents, were the newly painted walls. Gentles pointed out that the floors need to be refinished to provide a surface that can be properly cleaned to prevent the spread of disease. He said a donor had promised to pay for the $40,000 cost for the floors, but withdrew the offer because of the economy. When Gentles and Bank were asked if the planned renovations had provided for separate walkways and exercise areas for sick dogs to prevent the spread of disease, Bank responded that the Manhattan shelter manager was working on a plan. The tour ended in the temporary Adoptions Area (a garage converted to hold adoptable animals when the HVAC project began in December 2008). Gentles said that once construction is completed in the main building, the garage would no longer be used to house animals. Other meet 'n greets were held at the two other shelters. In the future Julie Banks plans to schedule separate meeting – one for rescuers and another for volunteers. |
SHELTER REFORM'S JANUARY 28, 2010 MEETING OF RESCUERS, AC&C MANAGEMENT, AND THE MAYOR'S ALLIANCE. click here for meeting's discussion of AC&C and Rescuer issues click here to read what New York Tails reported about the meeting |
| DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH APPOINTS NEW AC&C EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, JULIE BANK For the 8th time in as many years, the DOH has announced yet another Executive Director for the AC&C. Her name is Julie Bank. Unlike all but one of her predecessors, Julie Bank is unusual in that she’s had actual shelter management experience. She also comes with the support of both the ASPCA (one of her former employers) and the Mayor’s Alliance. Bank nevertheless faces formidable obstacles, not the least of which are the severe restrictions the DOH imposes (limited power and an insufficient budget). Click here to read about the obstacles |
| Nathan Winograd, a controversial leader of the nation's no-kill movement, has recently focused his attention on NYC's AC&C. If you are interested in reading his views on the situation, CLICK here. |
| Animal Care & Control (AC&C) is in crisis caused by drastic budget cuts imposed by the Dept of Health (DOH). Don’t let the DOH off the hook! Insist that you get value for your donations: a working, decent, effective shelter system, no longer strangled by the DOH. To learn more, please click here. |
| The AC&C Directors held a board meeting on June 23, 2010. To their surprise, it was standing room only for members of the public attending the meeting. Read More.... |