When Water Rises: A Heartfelt Reality from the Rescue Front Lines

For the first time in years of serving our community, Homeless to Home openly acknowledged that even with all of our out-of-the-box thinking, our creativity, and our unwavering dedication—we are at a breaking point. We are full. We are tired. We are overwhelmed. And we are heartbroken that we may not be able to say “yes” to every animal in need.

We know that sounds unimaginable. We know it’s frustrating. But we also know that saying “no” doesn’t come from a place of apathy—it comes from sheer necessity.

Because here’s the truth: Every rescue you contact is made up of regular people doing extraordinary things—for free, and often at great personal cost. Behind every polite “I’m sorry, we’re full,” is a volunteer who has spent sleepless nights bottle-feeding kittens, who has spent their paycheck on medication, who has cried in the quiet moments after losing one they couldn’t save.

Saying no is the hardest part of rescue work. It eats at us. It lingers long after the conversation ends. We don’t stop thinking about the ones we couldn’t take in. And no one feels that pain more deeply than the people dedicating their lives to helping.

So if you’ve ever reached out and been told we couldn’t help—please know that it’s not because we don’t want to. It’s because we physically and financially can’t take in one more cat without risking the care of the ones already in our arms. And if we lose that balance, we stop being a rescue and start becoming something unsustainable. That’s a line we never want to cross.

We need fosters. We need adopters. We need donations. But most of all, we need understanding.

Please be patient. Please be kind. And please—don’t give up on rescue. We haven’t.

With love,

The Team at Homeless to Home Animal Rescue & Cat Sanctuary