Every year, Chuck commits to traveling to all62 counties in New York to meet with constituents.
On May 4th, 2016, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer visited the Monroe County Crime Victims Resource Center to push for a bill that would help fund and expand the Willow Center's work with Lollypop Farm to create a shelter for victims of domestic violence and their pets. U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today said that many domestic violence victims stay with their abusers because the safety of a pet is at stake. Schumer explained how Rochester advocates, at places like Willow Center (formerly known as Alternatives for Battered Women), are helping to protect domestic violence victims and their beloved family member pets. Today, there are no pet-friendly emergency shelters in Monroe County, forcing domestic violence victims to make the terrible choice to stay in an abusive situation or to leave their family pets behind. Currently, Willow, in consultation with partners like Lollypop Farm, is planning to construct an expanded shelter in Monroe County to better serve victims of domestic violence that will include an on-site pet shelter, however funding support will be needed to sustain and operate this new facility. In response the Senator called on Congress to pass the Protect Pets and Women from Domestic Violence (PAWS) Act, which would give Rochester area domestic violence victims and their pets greater access to safe sheltering options, provide funding to support new shelters, as well as provide stronger legal protections for abused pets. Schumer explained how this bill would propel efforts in Rochester that address domestic violence and save lives.