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Home At Last Animal Sanctuary
Needs a New Home
Samantha Cristos is the founder of a 501©(3) non-profit animal sanctuary on the island of Hawai’i called Home at Last or HAL for short. She has been renting in the same location for over 18 years, but now her landlord wants to sell the property. She was originally given until the end of September to vacate, but the owner has extended her lease until the end of October. Samantha has been looking for a new location for over a year, and has had several promising options, but they have all fallen through. She would dearly love to relocate her sanctuary with all its inhabitants to a rural setting.
If this does not happen, she will be looking at euthanizing 81 animals, 11 dogs and 70 cats, in the next 2 weeks.
Please call or email Samantha if you have any leads on a rental property (details below), or property for sale on the Big Island for $89,000 or less.
Also, please contact her if you can save a life and take in a dog or a few cats.
Contact Samantha at homeatlastanimalrefuge@hawaiiantel.net or (808) 989-9089.
Samantha’s request:
It can be a 1-2 bedroom but must fall within the limitations I was given through Section 8 (county rental assistance). I am allowed from $925 to $1167 per month depending on the zip code I end up in. The catch will be to find a landlord that will accept me with all the animals. I am hoping to find a house that might have an adjacent barn or warehouse for the animals. All the animals will be in enclosures - no loose animals. I do carry liability insurance.
I don't know how I got over the hill without getting to the top.
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It's hard to hear that these babies are in trouble...I posted this on my FB page...hope that helps somehow.
Carrie
http://www.sapphiresoap.etsy.com
http://www.septemberspirals.etsy.com
"Even the smallest person can change the course of the future..." Galadriel LOTR
Carrie Rojo
"Even the smallest person can change the course of the future..." Galadriel LOTR
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I truly hope Samantha is able to find a place and quickly.
However, I am deeply troubled by info in the Lin's post.
Lin states that 81 animals will be put to sleep in the next 2 weeks if she does not find a home. If Samantha is such a caring compassionate animal lover (as one would be after caring for so many animals for nearly 20 years), why is she not working with the multiple other no kill animal shelters on island to find temporary fosters for the animals? Why has she not gone to the papers, even Honolulu TV and asked them to do an article on her plight in the hopes of finding a new home?
But I am also struck by the fact that this is the first time I am hearing of this shelter. Let me explain. I have participated in every pet oriented event on island for the past three years (Bark for Life, HIHS Pet Walk in HIlo and Kona, Howling Holidays, Horse Expo, UH Dog Wash, agility competitions,) you name it. I have never seen this group at any events promoting adoption of their pets.
I also write a pet blog that serves as a resource for all things pet related on the Big Island and state wide. I've actively sought out every animal group on island in order to promote them and their animals online. Multiple times a week I am promoting local pet shelters and various animals. I also check out Craigslist on a regular basis and repost lost dog/cat notices. Again, I've never seen a word about this group ANYWHERE.
Not to say that she isn't doing good work, but if you had so many adoptable animals wouldn't you be publicizing the fact like crazy in order to find them good homes?
Again, I hope she finds a new place, I'm just concerned about the animals and her threatening to kill them all. There are other alternatives.
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I talked to Samantha this morning, to give her a couple of phone numbers that might have some leads. She is working with animal lovers in her area, good possibility of temporary homes for the critters, it will mean splitting them up until she can find a permanent place. The media is also picking up the story, so hopefully that will also bring in other leads. She is willing to relocate anywhere.
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hikatz, great to see a ray of hope entry; thank-you for the update.
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quote:
Originally posted by spunky
However, I am deeply troubled by info in the Lin's post.
Lin states that 81 animals will be put to sleep in the next 2 weeks if she does not find a home.
Spunky,
I would've sent this in a private email but apparently you have no email address listed with Punaweb, so guess I'll have to do it here.
I actually didn't state anything, just posted a copy of an email I received from advoCATS, Inc., but since I didn't clarify that, it's perfectly reasonable that you would assume the words were mine. I was also appalled at the thought of euthanizing the animals rather than fostering or rehoming them; in fact, that was the reason I posted on Punaweb in the first place.
I also operate a small feral cat rescue and sanctuary (Pu'uhonua Puna), and I bet you've never heard of me either. I'm not non-profit (yet) and since I take in the "unadoptables" I don't solicit adoptions, just provide a safe, happy, forever home for as many as I can. After being badly burned by association with one of the Puna feral cat organizations I now just keep my head down and tend quietly to my own business.
I would love to subscribe to your blog, please share a link (or send it to me privately via email if you prefer).
Sorry for the confusion, I'll know better (if there is a) next time.
Aloha, Lin
I don't know how I got over the hill without getting to the top.
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It can be a 1-2 bedroom but must fall within the limitations I was given through Section 8 (county rental assistance). I am allowed from $925 to $1167 per month
Wow, how does one get section 8 with all those animals? That's insane ... sounds like abuse of state funds to me.
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Nevermind...I called...she didn't bother to call back.
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quote:
Originally posted by ericlp
It can be a 1-2 bedroom but must fall within the limitations I was given through Section 8 (county rental assistance). I am allowed from $925 to $1167 per month
Wow, how does one get section 8 with all those animals? That's insane ... sounds like abuse of state funds to me.
We quit renting the lower unit of our duplex for that reason.Section 8 abuse is rampant !
I'm sorry,if you are about to homeless and have a valid reason why you cannot pay rent, you may qualify for section 8 housing.!
If you can't pay rent because you are caring for 81 animals,you may have your priorities screwed up !
The final straw for me came as a Lady who had a PHD.She wanted me to lower the rent,so she could qualify.She gave me a link to her website and I found out she was probably going to use my rental to run her business.
Her degree was in some kind of sexual therapy !!
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The issue of animal shelters is very polarizing. There are many so-called shelters that are really hoarders deluding both themselves and others. I tend to agree with the sentiment that if you have 81 pets and are having difficulty making ends meet, your priorities are screwed up. I also have a problem with the concept of a no-kill shelter, not because I want animals to die but because I think that there will always be a surplus of animals, particularly cats, and any no-kill shelter that doesn't continuously take in more and more animals (obviously not practical) is only catering to a few favorites while countless others are turned away to die, so such shelters are not really committed to saving all animals anyway.
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