The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has announced a $25 million commitment to help save the lives of animals in the greater Los Angeles metropolitan area.

The ASPCA will work with leading local animal welfare groups to provide residents and rescue groups with services that help save animals' lives and keep families and their pets together. The multi-pronged effort will include a spay/neuter facility operated by the ASPCA for animals owned by South Los Angeles residents as well as animals sheltered at the South Los Angeles Animal Care Center — Chesterfield Square facility; $1 million to subsidize fees incurred by local rescue groups when transferring animals from the Los Angeles County and Los Angeles City shelter system into their facilities or networks; a relocation program to move animals from metro area shelters to communities where they will have a better chance of being adopted; safety-net programs designed to keep animals in their homes by addressing the needs of pet owners with scarce resources and limited access to critical services; and more than $250,000 annually in grants to local partners, including funding for intervention programs, spay/neuter programs, and medical care for animals in low-income areas.

In addition to Los Angeles City Animal Services and Los Angeles County Animal Control, the ASPCA is partnering on the multiyear effort with the Best Friends Animal Society, Downtown Dog Rescue, the Amanda Foundation, the Stray Cat Alliance, Fix Nation, the Jason Debus Heigl Foundation, the Found Animals Foundation, Bark Avenue, and others.

"Like many communities, Los Angeles faces intense challenges when it comes to homeless animals — roughly half the animals that enter LA-area facilities never come out," said ASPCA president and CEO Matt Bershadker. "But local organizations have been working hard and strategically to save lives, and we're proud to help them with this unprecedented large-scale investment customized to the unique needs and specific obstacles of each community."