BLAINE, Minn. — The Alexandra House is breaking ground on a new shelter project to help break a dangerous pattern in domestic violence cases.
Construction crews are renovating the organization's shelter in Blaine, making it pet-friendly so survivors can leave abusive situations without having to worry about leaving a beloved family pet behind in a dangerous situation.
The groundbreaking on Linus’ Pet Haven will happen at 1:00 p.m. Monday, with the goal of opening the doors to domestic abuse survivors and their pets in January 2025.
In a release, representatives with the Alexandra House say 71% of survivors in shelters report that their abusers have threatened, injured, or killed a pet. Fear of those threats coming to fruition sometimes prevents victims from leaving an extremely dangerous situation.
When completed, Linus’ Pet Haven will become the 7th pet-friendly domestic violence shelter in Minnesota and only the second in the Twin Cities area.
If you or someone you know is in a dangerous relationship, domestic violence resources are available 24/7.
Minnesota's Day One crisis hotline, the National Domestic Violence Hotline and Esparanza United's Spanish language domestic violence hotline are all options. Here are those numbers.
- Minnesota Day One crisis hotline (866)1223-1111
- National Domestic Violence Hotline (800)-799-7233 and (800)-787-3224
- Esparanza United's Spanish-Language Hotline (651)772-1611