PO Box 68811
Schaumburg, IL 60168-0811

Strays Halfway House, founded in 1981 by Belinda Olsen and Sharon Gawlik, is an all volunteer, registered, not-for-profit organization dedicated to rescuing stray and abandoned animals in the villages of the Northwest Suburbs. All of the monies raised by Strays Halfway House are used for the animals. There are no paid members of our organization.

The animal control officers of each village bring stray and abandoned animals to a holding kennel, where they are kept for up to 7 days. During those days Strays Halfway House works in conjunction with the police in an attempt to reunite lost companion animals with their human friends.

If, at the end of seven days, the animal has not been claimed, Strays Halfway House arranges that each adoptable cat or dog is given proper veterinarian care, and places each into a foster home.

Strays Halfway House does not kill any adoptable animal that we have taken just because a given time period has expired. At times we have animals in foster homes for many months until the "right" adoptive home comes along. We do not prolong the suffering of any that carry an incurable disease, or that have temperaments that would make living in a home with people a miserable experience for that animal, but we do treat many serious injuries and conditions that can be resolved, so as to guarantee the animal a good quality of life.