Buffalo secures $400K in grants to improve city animal shelter

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Buffalo has secured more than $400,000 in grants to improve conditions at the city's Oak Street animal shelter, with improvements set to begin once the grant money arrives this summer.

Buffalo Mayor Sean Ryan announced the planned upgrades, which include expanded kennel space, a new HVAC system, new flooring, a better outdoor area, and new cat kennels. Ryan described the improvements as a "short-term" fix, saying his bigger goal is to secure a brand-new facility.

"It has been a long, multi-year story about sub-par conditions at this shelter," Ryan said.

The Oak Street facility was the subject of a 2024 7 News I-Team investigation that found questionable conditions at the shelter. The state of the shelter then became an issue on the mayoral campaign trail last year, with Ryan criticizing the previous two administrations for failing to pursue available grants to improve conditions.

The Ryan administration secured a grant of more than $370,000 from the New York Department of Agriculture and Markets, along with local match funding of more than $40,000 from the Friends of the City of Buffalo Animal Shelter, bringing the total project investment to $412,042.

7 News first revealed the Ryan administration still planned to fund a new shelter in April. At the time, Deputy Mayor Ben Swanekamp told me the city was scoping out potential sites and is set to submit funding in the capital budget this fall. Ryan reaffirmed that commitment on Tuesday, adding that the city is in the planning stages with a group of shelter volunteers and architects.

WATCH: Buffalo secures $400K in grants to improve city animal shelter

"When you do these large projects, you gotta get it right the first time, otherwise you end up with an undersized or poorly designed shelter," Ryan said.

Suzanne Laba, who has volunteered at the shelter for more than 25 years, welcomed the news of the improvements.

"It helps the volunteers, it helps the staff, but overall it's really for the animals who have to survive in the shelter day in and day out," Laba said.

Back in April, she told me she was "cautiously optimistic" about the city's plans for a new shelter, despite previous promises from city officials falling through. She feels the same today.

"I always say, 'Well, you know, we'll see.' When it happens, it happens and I can give credit where credit is due, but until then I'm just going to see what the process holds," Laba said.