FYIMS INC
107 E 22ND STREET, HOUSTON, TX 77008 www.friends4life.org

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Organizations Filed Purposes: WE SAVE ANIMALS LIVES. WE FIND CREATIVE WAYS TO DO IT AND ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT SUCCESS AT IT. ANIMALS ARE OUR PRIMARY CLIENTS AND EVERYTHING WE DO IS BASED ON WHAT IS IN THEIR BEST INTEREST INDIVIDUALLY, OR AS A GROUP.

FRIENDS FOR LIFE (FFL) IS THE ONLY NO KILL, LEED CERTIFIED SHELTER IN HOUSTON AND HAVE PROGRAMS THAT ARE COMPLETELY UNIQUE TO THE ANIMAL COMMUNITY. HOUSTONIANS ARE ACHING FOR A NEW AND PROGRESSIVE STRATEGY TO END THE KILLING OF ANIMALS IN SHELTERS. THE MEDIA COVERAGE IS PASSIONATE AND YET UNTIL FRIENDS FOR LIFE (FFL) STARTED THE NEW PROGRAMS, NOTHING HAD CHANGED IN THE HOUSTON SHELTER MODEL SINCE 1924. EVEN AMONG NO KILL PROGRAMS, FFL IS UNIQUE IN ITS ENGAGEMENT WITH THE COMMUNITY. RATHER THAN EXCLUSIVELY TAKING ANIMALS FROM CITY OR COUNTY AGENCIES, FFL IS A PARTNER TO THE COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE AND ACCEPTS ANIMALS WHO ARE STRAYS, ANIMALS FROM OWNERS WHO CAN NO LONGER CARE FOR THEM AS WELL AS PULLING THE MOST AT-RISK FROM CITY AND COUNTY FACILITIES.FFL HAS CREATED EFFECTIVE PATHS TO REDUCING THE KILLING OF ANIMALS IN ALL HOUSTON SHELTERS. CREATE PROGRAMS THAT ARE NO KILL AND EXPAND THE DEFINITION OF ADOPTABLE TO FIND HOMES FOR THE ANIMALS WHO WOULD BE KILLED IN THE PRESENT SYSTEM. 75% OF THE ANIMALS FFL SENDS TO LOVING HOMES WOULD BE KILLED IN THE OTHER SHELTERS. FFL'S PROGRAMS WORK TO SAVE SENIORS, NURSING BABIES AND THOSE WHO NEED MEDICAL CARE.FFL REDEFINE ADOPTABLE:FFL RESCUES STRAYS AND TAKES IN ABANDONED ANIMALS. FFL ACCEPTS ALL ANIMALS REGARDLESS OF BREED, AGE, CONDITION. IF THE ANIMAL IS TREATABLE OR ABLE TO BE SAVED, FFL MAKES IT HAPPEN. 75% OF THE ANIMALS FFL PLACES IN LOVING HOMES WOULD NOT MAKE THE "ADOPTABLE" LIST AT OTHER AREA SHELTERS. FFL'S REACH IS EXPANDED BY MAINTAINING A LARGE NETWORK OF FOSTER HOMES THAT PROVIDE TEMPORARY CARE AND CRITICAL REHABILITATION FOR ITS ANIMAL CLIENTS. FFL FUNDS 100% OF THE COST OF THE ANIMALS FOR THE FOSTER INCLUDING ALL MEDICAL, SUPPLIES AND BEHAVIORAL TRAINING. A LARGE MAJORITY OF THE THOUSANDS OF ANIMALS FFL PLACES IN HOMES WOULD NOT HAVE MADE IT OUT OF OTHER TRADITIONAL SHELTERS. FFL TREATS ANIMALS WITH THE BASICS SUCH AS VACCINATIONS, DEWORMING, SPAY/NEUTER UP TO AND INCLUDING MAJOR SURGERIES AND SPECIALIST CONSULTATIONS. FFL'S ROBUST SCREENING PROCESS OF THE POTENTIAL HOMES INCLUDES A SLEEPOVER THAT ALLOWS A POTENTIAL ADOPTER TO GET TO KNOW THE PET ON A "NO HARM, NO FOUL" WEEK-LONG SLEEPOVER! OFFSITE ADOPTION EVENTS ARE CONDUCTED USING FFL'S MOBILE ADOPTION VEHICLE TO MAKE ADOPTABLE ANIMALS ACCESSIBLE AT LOCATIONS AROUND HOUSTON AND THE SURROUNDING AREAS.FFL "THINKS OUTSIDE THE SHELTER" TO KEEP ANIMALS OUT OF THE SHELTERS IN THE FIRST PLACE -- FFL BEGINS TO LOOK UPSTREAM FOR LASTING SOLUTIONS TO THE HOMELESS ANIMAL PROBLEM. TWO PROGRAMS LEAD THE WAY: THE FIX HOUSTON INITIATIVE AND THINKING OUTSIDE THE SHELTER PROGRAM.

FIX HOUSTON INITIATIVEFFL'S FIX HOUSTON INITIATIVE HAS KEPT 110,000 ANIMALS OUT OF ITS SHELTER OR ANYONE ELSE'S BY PROVIDING FREE SPAY/NEUTER TO LOW INCOME AREAS. FFL HAS SURPASSED THE 5,500 MARK IN FREE SURGERIES IT HAS GIVEN TO THE COMMUNITY. FFL'S FIX HOUSTON PROGRAM IS THE FIRST OF ITS KIND IN HOUSTON TO FORGE A PUBLIC/PRIVATE RELATIONSHIP WITH THE CITY. THE CITY INTAKE/EUTHANASIA RATES HAVE DROPPED IN THE AREAS WHERE IT CONDUCTS THIS PROGRAM.THE FIX HOUSTON INITIATIVE HAS PROVIDED OVER 5,500 FREE SPAY/NEUTER SURGERIES FOR THE ANIMALS OF HOUSTON FAMILIES SINCE ITS CREATION IN 2013. THIS HAS PREVENTED OVER 110,000 BIRTHS. IT ALSO INCLUDES A TARGETED TNR PROGRAM THAT HAS STABILIZED FERAL COLONIES IN THE ZIP CODE WITH THE HIGHEST RATES OF CITIZEN COMPLAINTS AND TURN-INS TO ANIMAL CONTROL. FFL SYSTEMATICALLY BLOCK WALKS NEIGHBORHOODS TO IDENTIFY CRISIS AREAS THAT NEED SPAY/NEUTER HELP, CAT COLONY MANAGEMENT, FOOD ASSISTANCE, AND ANIMAL SUPPORT. IN THIS WAY, FFL IS BUILDING THE WORKING PARTNERSHIP THAT HAS LONG BEEN MISSING BETWEEN SHELTERS AND THE COMMUNITY. FFL SERVES BOTH, THE COMMUNITY/FERAL POPULATION AND THE OWNED ANIMAL POPULATIONS. FIX HOUSTON TRAP NEUTER RELEASE (TNR) FELINE PROGRAM HAS TRAPPED, SPAYED, NEUTERED AND VACCINATED THOUSANDS OF FERAL COMMUNITY CATS, THUS PREVENTING BIRTHS. FFL ALSO PROVIDED THOUSANDS OF POUNDS OF FOOD TO FERAL COLONY MANAGERS AND LOANED FREE FERAL CAT TRAPS TO THE COMMUNITY. THROUGH FFL'S HEALTHY PETS HEALTHY STREETS (HPHS) PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CITY OF HOUSTON, FFL HAS PROVIDED THOUSANDS OF FREE CAT SPAYS AND NEUTERS, MICROCHIPS AND VACCINATIONS FOR PETS OF LOW INCOME, UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES OF HOUSTON (THE CITY FUNDS THE DOG PORTION.)

THINKING OUTSIDE THE SHELTER PROGRAMTHE GOAL OF THE UNIQUE THINKING OUTSIDE THE SHELTER PROGRAM IS TO KEEP ANIMALS OUT OF SHELTERS BY EITHER SUPPORTING FAMILIES THROUGH DIFFICULT TIMES AND ENABLING THEM TO KEEP THEIR PETS OR BY SPAYING/NEUTERING AND RETURNING HEALTHY FERAL/COMMUNITY CATS. KEEPING ANIMALS (OWNED, FERAL OR COMMUNITY) OUT OF THE SHELTER SYSTEM IS A WIN FOR ALL CONCERNED. FFL ASSISTS FAMILIES WITH LOW COST VACCINATIONS, FLEA AND HEARTWORM PREVENTION AND DEWORMER. FFL PROVIDED OVER 50 TONS OF FOOD TO LOW INCOME COMMUNITY MEMBERS THROUGH ITS PET FOOD BANK. COLLARS, LEASHES, CRATES, PUPPY PADS AND OTHER EQUIPMENT WERE ALSO PROVIDED TO HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE FOR THEIR PETS. FFL PROVIDED BEHAVIOR AND TRAINING ASSISTANCE TO PEOPLE STRUGGLING TO KEEP THEIR PETS DUE TO BEHAVIOR ISSUES. FFL PROVIDED FREE OR LOW COST BOARDING ON A TEMPORARY BASIS TO ACT AS A BRIDGE FOR PET OWNERS UNTIL THEY COULD SECURE HOUSING TO ALLOW THEM TO RECLAIM THEIR PETS. CREATING A NEW SYSTEM TO SHELTER PEOPLE WITH PETS IN DISASTERS THAT SAVES LIVE OF BOTHFFL IS CONNECTED TO THE HOUSTON COMMUNITY IN SIGNIFICANT WAYS. THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR SERVES ON THE CITY ANIMAL SHELTER ADVISORY BOARD AND DURING HURRICANE HARVEY, FFL WAS ASKED BY THE CITY TO MANAGE THE ENTIRE ANIMAL RESPONSE AT THE LARGEST CITY SHELTER, CONTAINING 10,000 EVACUEES. IN THE FIRST 24 HOURS, FFL REGISTERED AND TRIAGED 671 ANIMALS. THROUGH THE STORM FFL REGISTERED, TREATED AND HOUSED OVER 1,500 PETS WITH FAMILIES. FFL CREATED THE FIRST EVER MODEL IN THE U.S. IN WHICH PEOPLE COULD BE HOUSED WITH THEIR PETS. FFL'S CREATION OF THE PROOF OF CONCEPT OF THE PETS/WITH EVACUEE FAMILIES SET A NATIONAL STANDARD AND FFL WILL BE PRODUCING A NATIONALLY (AND INTERNATIONALLY) AVAILABLE MANUAL ON HOW OTHER COMMUNITIES MAY REPLICATE THE LIFE-SAVING PRACTICES FFL CREATED.

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