Ruthless kindness, a veterinarian-founded organization dedicated to the intersection of animal welfare and interpersonal violence, will support emergency and transitional housing for victims of…

The Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Victims of Crime awarded Ruthless Kindness $425,000 on October 1, 2025, under the Crime Victim Assistance/Discretionary Grants program (CFDA 16.582).

Ruthless Kindness will support emergency and transitional housing for domestic violence victims and their companion animals across Sonoma, Napa, Solano, and Lake counties in Northern California. The project includes creation of pet-friendly housing, alternative housing options, pet foster and boarding services, and interagency training. Funding will also partially support a program director and veterinary medicine for the pets of domestic violence victims. The recipient operates through a collaborative model partnering with the Family Justice Center, which unites multiple victim service agencies under one roof, alongside other victim service partners across the four-county region.

The award period runs through September 30, 2028, with place of performance in Sebastopol, California. The Crime Victim Assistance program provides discretionary funding to develop, expand, and strengthen victim service programs for all crime victims throughout the United States and its territories.

Ruthless kindness, a veterinarian-founded organization dedicated to the intersection of animal welfare and interpersonal violence, will support emergency and transitional housing for victims of domestic violence and their companion animals in sonoma, napa, solano, and lake counties in northern california. This project advances a proven and high-impact solution that strengthens victim safety and housing access. The initiative builds on a collaborative model in which ruthless kindness partners with the nationally recognized family justice center model, which unites multiple victim service agencies under one roof, as well as other victim service partners through four counties. This structure supports victims with pets from multiple safe houses and victim service agencies, and delivers integrated, survivor-centered services that ensure families and their pets can escape violence, access safe housing, and begin healing. The project will support creation of pet-friendly housing, alternative housing options, pet foster and boarding, and interagency training. Funds will also partially support a program director and veterinary medicine for the pets of victims of domestic violence.