Councilwoman Eleana Little Announces Agreement With Downtown Developers To Waive Pet Fees For Jersey City Animal Shelter Adoptions
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Grace Perez, Chief of Staff
[email protected] | 201-547-5283
Nathaniel Styer, Communications Director
City of Jersey City
[email protected]
COUNCILWOMAN ELEANA LITTLE ANNOUNCES AGREEMENT WITH DOWNTOWN DEVELOPERS TO WAIVE PET FEES FOR JERSEY CITY ANIMAL SHELTER ADOPTIONS
Initiative by Councilwoman Little, in Partnership with the City Administration, Aims to Reduce Barriers to Adoption and Help More Shelter Animals Find Homes
Jersey City, NJ – Councilwoman Eleana Little announced a new initiative in cooperation with several major downtown Jersey City developers, the Mayor’s Office, and Jersey City Animal Care and Control to encourage pet adoption and support the Jersey City Animal Shelter by waiving pet-related residential fees for tenants who adopt animals from the shelter at no cost to the city.
“This program is about making adoption more accessible to renters while helping animals find loving homes,”
said Councilwoman Eleana Little. “Pet fees can be a real barrier for tenants who want to adopt, and I’m pleased to bring together downtown developers and the administration to support Jersey City residents adopting locally. I call on more developers and landlords, both in Ward E and Citywide, to join this initiative and waive pet fees for our shelter pets.”
"When we remove barriers to adoption, we help animals find homes and help residents build their lives in Jersey City,”
said Mayor James Solomon. “I'm grateful to Councilwoman Little for driving this initiative, and to the developers who stepped up to make it real. This is exactly the kind of public-private partnership that makes our city stronger."
Participating developers currently include Brookfield Properties and G&S Investors, the developers behind the VYV and Everton buildings in downtown Jersey City; LeFrak, the developer of the Newport neighborhood and one of Jersey City’s largest residential property owners; and Silverman, which owns and manages a wide range of residential properties throughout Downtown and the Hamilton Park neighborhood.
Through this initiative, residents living at the VYV and Everton buildings as well as all LeFrak buildings will have the standard $50 monthly pet fee waived for all animals adopted from the Jersey City Animal Shelter. Residents living in Silverman properties will have both the standard $500 nonrefundable pet deposit and the $75 monthly pet fee waived for shelter-adopted pets for the first year, with 50% discounted monthly fees in subsequent years. This initiative will also apply to animals fostered from the Jersey City Animal Shelter.
The initiative was spearheaded by Councilwoman Little as part of her broader efforts to support renters, promote animal welfare, and reduce overcrowding at the Jersey City Animal Shelter, with the City administration partnering to help expand and promote the program citywide.
“By recognizing the value of adoption and supporting families who choose to rescue a pet, these partnerships strengthen both animal welfare efforts and the broader community,”
said Director Mark Byrnes. “We appreciate organizations that work alongside the shelter to create pet-friendly housing opportunities and help give homeless animals a second chance.”
Residents interested in adopting a pet can learn more through the
Jersey City Animal Shelter.