St. Louis has extended its contract with the Center for Animal Rescue and Enrichment to run its animal shelter through June 2026, but the organization says it still can’t cover all of its costs.
Weng Horak, the nonprofit’s founder and CEO, said CARE STL receives $112,500 per month from the city. That amount funds the care and sheltering of 180 animals. But the shelter is taking in about 350 animals per month on average, Horak said.
“Almost on a daily basis, we have to do fundraising to cover the overage of animals that are coming in that is not supported by the contract,” Horak said.
The contract started in July and was only guaranteed through December.
CARE STL has been under contract with the city shelter since 2019, and until July the contract was always renewed on a yearly basis.
Justen Hauser, the Environmental Health Services bureau chief who oversees Animal Care and Control, said city budget cuts led to the change.
“Our main goal is to provide an appropriate level of funding for the services that CARE offers to the community,” Hauser said. “The budget that was approved only allowed for that first six-month contract to be executed.”
Horak said when contract discussions started in October, the city told her it would have to cut monthly funding by $33,000. But after several members of the Board of Aldermen visited the shelter, the health department was able to find the money to retain the same monthly funding as before for a six-month total of $675,000.
Much of the money CARE STL raises is spent on caring for the surplus of animals brought in each month.
Horak said she wishes it could be used to expand the Pets for Life program, which currently provides free pet food and veterinary care to 69 families. Additionally, the current shelter facility needs renovations, and she wants to raise money to build the shelter’s future new location.
Contract talks will likely happen again in March. Horak said she hopes the next contract is for a full year.
“My goal is for animals in our city to have a place to go, that is a safe place for them to go and be taken care of,” Horak said.
The current facility requires renovations before its license renewal with the Department of Agriculture in January. This means all the animals need to be cleared from the shelter from Dec. 19 to Jan. 10, whether that is through adoption or fostering.
“We really need the community to help us out,” Horak said.
Horak said she plans to house animals that are not adopted or fostered in a boarding facility for a few weeks during the renovations.
