(WSBT) The Elkhart County Humane Society is one step away from a new home. The County Board of Zoning Appeals has approved plans for a new, expanded animal shelter. The next step is finding the money to make it happen.

It's no secret the county humane shelter has seen a jump in business. On any given day it takes in over 25 cats and dogs, and even an occasional raccoon.

Linda Stevenson knows first hand. She's adopted a number of animals there.

"Yes, it seems like they're kind of bursting at the seams to find enough room to take care of all the animals that come in," she said.

"That's a strain on our facility, it's a constant strain on the staff and the animals that we deal with," said Eric Durcinka, director of the Humane Society. "Right now we operate at maximum capacity probably ten months out of the year."

The shelter has been given tentative approval to build a new home. It will be located on a 60-acre site near C.R. 17 and C.R. 18.

It will give the cats, dogs and the occasional raccoon an additional 5,000 square feet.

"Everybody agrees it's a much more visible location," Durcinka told WSBT News. "It will be easier to get to, easier to find. It is going to be a little bit more centrally located and easier for our officers to respond to the calls throughout the community."

'I think a new home and location would be wonderful," said Stevenson. "I think that would be a very important thing for the county."

A lot of the money for the project will come from the sale of the current property the Humane Society is on. They hope to close the deal on the new site by May 1st.