South Suburban Humane Society Comes To Homewood

HOMEWOOD, IL — Furry, four-pawed friends needing a new home will find one in Homewood. The South Suburban Humane Society plans to open a new branch on 183rd Street.

The new shelter takes over the former Homewood Animal Hospital, which has been vacant for more than four years. It is designed to be an adoption center with the capacity for about 40 dogs and as many as 25 cats.

The flagship Chicago Heights location, which has served the area since 1970, will remain the same. It will continue to adopt animals and take in strays from surrounding communities. The Homewood site will serve as adoption only, but it will offer on-site spay and neutering services.

The need for animal services was so high, the Chicago Heights site couldn't always keep up and sometimes had to turn away some municipalities that needed a place for the strays it picked up.

"We reached a critical mass last summer, and that's when we started to explore our options to expand," said CEO Emily Klehm.

What Klehm and her staff found was the old animal hospital. But before they went any further, Klehm contacted Mayor Richard Hofeld — who immediately supported the idea.

"This is a great thing for Homewood because it will bring in more people who will also want to eat with us, shop with us," he said. "Plus it's good for the animals." Hofeld, a self-professed animal lover, rescues black labs.

The village board formally approved the project at the end of February.

An anonymous benefactor bought the bank-owned property for $120,000 and donated it to the Humane Society. Several others, including PetSmart, donated or granted money for construction or spay and neuter equipment.

The brutal winter slowed construction, but Klehm said they're still on track for a soft opening in April and a grand opening in May.

The Humane Society still needs another $100,000 for their expansion, and Klehm said there are opportunities to name a room in the building or donate in honor of a loved one or beloved pet. No donation, she said, is too small.

The address for the Homewood Humane Society is 2207 183rd Street.

To learn more or donate, visit the Humane Society's website.