An animal rescue shelter providing critical support for families in turmoil, survivors of domestic violence and people facing homelessness is on the brink of permanent closure, in the face of rising costs and dwindling public donations.
Donations to Second Chance Animal Rescue (SCAR) have dropped by nearly 50 per cent, while essential vet care has cost the shelter $336,000 in just six months
Despite saving over 17,000 lives and receiving over 25 urgent calls every day, SCAR must raise $200,000 by November 2025, or shut its doors forever.
Speaking to the significant drop in support amid a rise in need, Marisa Debattista, the founder and CEO of SCAR tells Women’s Agenda: “We work very hard daily to scrounge and work out the running costs of this facility, but the problem is, every funding source is drying up right now, and it’s gotten to that point we’ve had to launch such a large appeal and really ask for help from the community.”
“We really need to be here for them, and now we need them to help us to keep the doors open.”
Female-founded
In 2008, Debattista started SCAR, by chance, in her lounge room. She’d been working as a vet nurse at the time, and was seeing many animals surrendered to the clinic she was at due to a number of reasons.
Some people couldn’t afford the high cost of vet bills, family members who had to go to a nursing home couldn’t take their pet with them or even those leaving abusive relationships who couldn’t take care of their beloved pet.
“There were a number of different reasons,” Debattista tells Women’s Agenda. “So, I started volunteering at a local animal shelter, where I learned about what the animal welfare sector was doing.”
“There were not a lot of smaller rescue groups at that stage. when I started, and the ones that were there were always very full and busy,” she says.
“So, I started Second Chance to try and help meet the demand in the community and become another resource for community members and their kids. And it’s sort of snowballed to what it is today.”
Debattista and the Second Chance team opened the first shelter in 2015, which they outgrew within six months. They then fundraised and were able to open a much bigger facility in Craigieburn, Victoria, where they still are today.
While the charity has navigated its fair share of challenges, including during the Covid-19 pandemic, they’ve never faced more of a crisis than they are right now.
Financial crisis
Over the last five years, Debattista says the financial crisis has led to more and more people “doing it tough”, with the demand for assistance rising in the community.
She says SCAR is being “inundated with people needing help, to the point where we have to sadly say ‘I’m sorry we can’t help’.”
“There’s such a need, especially with domestic violence, at this point in time, that we’re taking calls from people that are trying to work out a plan so that they can leave a situation, but they just have no idea of what they can do with their pets.”
Debattista says a lot of the people that SCAR speaks to decide to stay in a domestic violence situation because they’re worried about the safety of their animals.
SCAR’s biggest expenditures at the moment are wages and consumables, such as drugs, gauze, needles- things that are needed for surgeries.
SCAR has about 30 staff and hundreds of volunteers, and Debattista says she needs this staff (vets, nurses, receptionists, etc.) to be able to run the shelter.
“Realistically, if money wasn’t an issue, we’d have another 20 staff to be able to run effectively, but everybody is doing multiple jobs. They’re working extremely hard to make the place run.
Unfortunately, it’s come to the point where community donations are desperately needed, otherwise the staff will be stretched too thin, resources will run out and the shelter will have to shut down.
“If anyone has the ability to donate towards the appeal, or if they know any corporate organisations that potentially could assist,” Debattista says this could make all the difference.
“Even if they can’t, because times are tough, even if it’s just sharing the appeal to help spread the message, that’s very helpful.”
Your donation can be the difference between hope and heartbreak. A gift of $20, $50, or $100 could keep the lights on, fund life-saving surgeries, and keep families and pets together during their darkest moments.
Here’s how you can help: Donate via bank transfer:
NAB Bank – Second Chance Animal Rescue Inc.
BSB: 083 168
Account Number: 141680345
Reference: Your Name / Donation
Or visit www.secondchanceanimalrescue.com.au/donate