Humane Society of Charlotte Animal Resource Center

Erik Spanberg, Biz Journal

Humane Society of Charlotte President and CEO Shelly Moore and her board steered clear of calling the private nonprofit group’s new home an animal shelter. Instead, it’s an animal resource center — as in, a place that is to be visited and used for everything from pet adoptions and care to a cat café and children’s activities and education.

All of which has been a long time coming. Moore said industry trends began shifting five or six years ago, well after she arrived in 2010 with a mission of helping secure a new headquarters. Without any government funding, the Humane Society had to figure out a way to raise the $15 million ultimately needed for what became a 27,000-square-foot building.

Moore noted that the Humane Society bought the 17-acre site that houses the new animal resource center in 2017. But they still had to raise the money needed for design and construction work. Construction began in February 2021 and finished in May 2022.

The new building has comfortable spaces for adoption services, low-cost veterinary care, expanded spay/neuter services, and outreach programs including a food bank and crisis housing and assistance for those with pets affected by emergencies.

Moore said the new space combined with private support has given The Humane Society a strong foundation to build on.

“We were able to move into the building debt-free,” she said. “The community really stepped up to make this happen.”

KEY PLAYERS

• Developer/owner: The Humane Society of Charlotte
• General contractor: Myers & Chapman Inc.
• Architect: RL Architecture
• Engineers: Design Resource Group; TLC Engineering Solutions

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