While our Facebook page has been up to date with ACC events, our website has lagged behind.
Our apologies. So, let’s play catch up.
Since our last website posting, New York City’s animal rescue world has been turned upside down.
In a word: COVID-19. In the first 5 months of the pandemic, ACC tried various ways to reduce intake. They had no choice. To ensure social distancing, ACC was forced to limit the number of staff and volunteers in its shelters at any one time.
But in the past 3 months, despite ACC’s efforts to keep intake at a minimum, animals have begun silting up inside its shelters. There still aren’t enough people to care for them. Conditions inside the shelters are bad, far worse than what Comptroller Scott Stringer saw when he audited the shelters before the pandemic. Staff and volunteer morale is at a low point, with a lot of absenteeism.
Adding to ACC’s woes, it’s dealing with budget cuts from the Department of Health ... to the tune of $3 million. The City’s devastated finances have had another cascading effect on ACC. Except for construction on a Queens full-service shelter (to be owned by ACC and not the City), all the other promised capital projects are dead in their tracks. That means no Bronx shelter. No replacement Brooklyn shelter for the awful one ACC uses. No Manhattan Adoption Center.
We recently described some good news among all the bad. Brooklyn TNR Flatbush Cats has shown how, as the City cuts its support of animal rescue, a small rescue group can step up to help fill the void.
Here’s a link to our newsletter about Flatbush Cat and a direct link to our interview with FC.
Enjoy!
Our apologies. So, let’s play catch up.
Since our last website posting, New York City’s animal rescue world has been turned upside down.
In a word: COVID-19. In the first 5 months of the pandemic, ACC tried various ways to reduce intake. They had no choice. To ensure social distancing, ACC was forced to limit the number of staff and volunteers in its shelters at any one time.
But in the past 3 months, despite ACC’s efforts to keep intake at a minimum, animals have begun silting up inside its shelters. There still aren’t enough people to care for them. Conditions inside the shelters are bad, far worse than what Comptroller Scott Stringer saw when he audited the shelters before the pandemic. Staff and volunteer morale is at a low point, with a lot of absenteeism.
Adding to ACC’s woes, it’s dealing with budget cuts from the Department of Health ... to the tune of $3 million. The City’s devastated finances have had another cascading effect on ACC. Except for construction on a Queens full-service shelter (to be owned by ACC and not the City), all the other promised capital projects are dead in their tracks. That means no Bronx shelter. No replacement Brooklyn shelter for the awful one ACC uses. No Manhattan Adoption Center.
We recently described some good news among all the bad. Brooklyn TNR Flatbush Cats has shown how, as the City cuts its support of animal rescue, a small rescue group can step up to help fill the void.
Here’s a link to our newsletter about Flatbush Cat and a direct link to our interview with FC.
Enjoy!
| flatbush_cats_interview_oct.__2020__1_.pdf |
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