Dozer the corgi participated in the May 21 Dimes for Dogs Walkathon to raise funds for Home at Last. The local Humane Society shelter recently released the results of a survey that found the community supports new and sustainable revenue sources.
Dozer the corgi participated in the May 21 Dimes for Dogs Walkathon to raise funds for Home at Last. The local Humane Society shelter recently released the results of a survey that found the community supports new and sustainable revenue sources.
THE DALLES — On June 23, Home at Last Humane Society released the results of a recent survey that aimed to better understand community priorities for animal management in the region and how to pay for those services. Home at Last is Wasco County and neighboring counties’ primary resource for animal rescue and adoption, stray hold and management, spays and neuters of adoptable animals, and law enforcement partnership.
Overall, 246 people took the online survey. The results revealed that community members value the animal shelter and believe that new and sustainable funding sources must be found to maintain services. Results can be found on the home page at www.homeatlasths.org.
In the past 18 months, the shelter has seen a more than 25% increase in costs of labor, supplies, medicines, and maintenance. To try to keep pace, the shelter has stepped up its bottles and cans redemption program and also held creative fundraising events such as the Dimes for Dogs Walkathon. But these sources of funding, as well as support from private donors and foundations is not enough to keep up. The survey was designed to give the public a strong voice in how Home at Last addresses ongoing funding issues.
“We appreciate hearing opinions from people regarding ongoing funding for the shelter,” said Stephen Drynan, Home at Last executive director. “Even with our generous donor base and grant awards, it’s been a challenge to continue to maintain a high level of service for Wasco County with unpredictable revenue streams.”
In the survey, community members said the most valuable services provided by Home at Last are animal adoptions, animal rescue and sheltering, and stray holds for lost animals. In fact, more than 50% of the animals served at the shelter are strays brought to the facility by community members or law enforcement. However, the shelter receives only around 10% of its funding from the public for these community services. Survey results show that 88.3% of people who took the survey believe that public funds should make up more than 10% of the support for Home at Last.
Respondents were asked where funding for services should come from including bottle and can redemptions, private donations, and sources of public funding. The survey results show community members strongly believe that reliable financial support for the shelter should come from county and city general funds or a Wasco County levy of 10 cents per $1,000 of assessed value.
In addition, 84.3% of respondents said that Home at Last should create a petition to see if the community wishes to vote on a Dimes for Dogs levy in November 2022, and 82.7% of survey takers said they would support that 10 cent levy for animal-related services.
“We take these results very seriously,” said Drynan. “We believe it is very important to partner with community members on the best next steps for funding high-quality animal management services at the shelter. We will now begin to explore these options thoroughly, keeping the community informed at every step.”
As a response to the community input, Home at Last is now forming a committee of Wasco County residents to further explore both additional revenues from county and city general funds, as well as a 10-cent levy on the ballot in November. Community members interested in learning more about the committee can email Home at Last Development Director Erin Foote Morgan at erin@centraloregonaf.org.
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