FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) – Humane Fort Wayne announced Thursday a new shelter is coming to Fort Wayne that will house twice as many cats and dogs.

The organization is combining its shelter and clinical services in a new facility at 901 Leesburg Road. The grand opening is set for 2024.

“Having a more centrally-located shelter will facilitate more visitors and that will save more lives,” Humane Fort Wayne said.

According to the release, the 5-acre property will have three times the space as the current shelter on Hanna Street, housing twice as many cats and dogs. Plans for the expansion also include a clinic for spay/neuter and low-cost wellness services, space for indoor dog training, and education and volunteer centers.

The current shelter on Fort Wayne’s southeast side is set to be turned into headquarters for Humane Fort Wayne’s outreach and pet retention programs, resulting in a freestanding social service agency for pets– the first of its kind in Indiana.

“For the last ten years, we’ve worked hard to create innovative programs and services to best serve the needs of both homeless animals as well as animals who already have homes,” said executive director Jessica Henry-Johnson. “I know this community will invest in us as we look to the bright future of even better animal welfare in northeast Indiana.”

The organization is asking the public for help to raise the final $1.5 million dollars needed to fund construction of the new facility, with plans to break ground this spring.

The new facility will be named in memory of Sharon Bodenhafer, described by Humane Fort Wayne as “an animal lover extraordinaire.”