Best Friends CEO, Julie Castle, second from left, Jacob Cluff of H&C Development, third from the left, and Best Friends colleagues break ground on new employee housing in Kanab, UT on Sept. 22, 2022. (Best Friends Animal Society)
KANAB, Utah — Kanab is getting housing units from an unlikely source — the Best Friends Animal Society. The nonprofit broke ground earlier this week on a new housing project meant for employees.
Best Friends is the largest no-kill shelter in the country. It has its largest location is here in Utah, in the city of Kanab.
Kanab is home to the Best Friends headquarters and sanctuary.
According to the organization, it is the biggest employer in Kane County and over half of its 850 employees work in Kanab.
A growing shelter means more employees, but employees have had trouble finding housing in the small town.
So, Best Friends began a $6 million housing project to provide places for their employees to rent. The housing project is also part of a push to fill the positions the nonprofit still has open.
The project will create 24 units — 12 duplexes — and the first two units are scheduled to be done in early 2023.