For more than a decade, the RSPCA ACT has offered free accomodation to the pets of those escaping violence. It is a service run without funding and largely in secret, with animal names changed at the door and no photos allowed for fear of a security breach.

But now the animal welfare organisation says the program could be in danger of closing without urgent community support.

Simon Yates, who runs the Project SAFE program, said staff had to turn away about two thirds of the people who came to them in need because of a lack of resources. While some clients were facing time in hospital or even jail, a majority were experiencing domestic violence, he said.

"It's been going for as long as anyone here can remember but demand has doubled in the past few years," Mr Yates said.

"It takes a big emotional toll, having to prioritise those requests. You get people saying I'll have to sleep in my car. These are really beloved animals.

"It can be pretty soul-destroying."

Last year, RSPCA ACT spent more than $35,800 on emergency boarding cases and chief executive Tammy Ven Dange warns they cannot keep it up without a secure funding stream - and foster carers willing to take on older animals.

"We haven't told the public about it in the past for security reasons, but the reality is we can’t meet demand, it's a bit scary," Ms Ven Dange said.

"It's such an important program and we want it to stay free, we don't want it to fall apart for funding reasons."

At Northside Community Services, Penny Canning-Menon often refers clients who can no longer care for their pets to the RSPCA program, a majority of whom are fleeing violence.

"One of the first things people think about is 'what's doing to happen to my pet?' It can be a decider between people leaving and staying," Ms Canning-Menon said.

"In the ACT, and Australia-wide, this one of the biggest areas of unmet need."

While both organisations participated in a working group last year focussing on the problem, as part of the ACT government's response to domestic violence, Ms Canning-Menon said more resources were still needed.

At the RSPCA, Ms Ven Dang said there were likely more animals coming through the doors involved in domestic violence than they were aware of, including inspector cases.

"If there's an animal with a broken leg, but no one wants to tell you what happened, or a pet's been left in a house, we often never know the full story," Ms Ven Dange said.

"There’s clearly a shortage of options for people with pets and if we don’t get these animals out of those homes, not only could it keep their owners in danger longer, but it could mean those pets become victims as well."

The program aims to keep stays short, at around a fortnight long, which means foster carers are increasingly in demand to allow adult animals longer-term options while their owners find secure housing or stay in refuges.

"Families often need their pets to get through this, especially children," Ms Ven Dange said.

Set to finish up her role at the helm of RSPCA ACT in June, Ms Ven Dange said securing the future of the program was the legacy she wanted to leave behind.

"Domestic violence [programs] fit so well into our mandate of preventing cruelty. Pets really are the faceless victims in all of this, they can be hurt or used as bargaining tools, they literally don't have a voice."

To find out more about the RSPCA program go to: rspca-act.org.au/project-safe

Northside Community Services also offers support through its PAWS program.