IMPROVING OUTCOMES IN HOMELESSNESS: Keeping People and Pets Together ABOUT THE NATIONAL ALLIANCE TO END HOMELESSNESS The National Alliance to End Homelessness (the Alliance) is a leading voice on the issue of homelessness in the U.S. The Alliance analyzes public policies to develop and deliver pragmatic, customized, cost-effective, and implementable solutions. It collab- orates with organizations and providers in public, private, and nonprofit sectors to build state and local capacity, leading to more effective programs and solutions that help communities achieve their goal of ending homelessness. The Alliance provides data and research to policymakers and elected officials in order to inform policy debates and decisions and educate public and opinion leaders nationwide. Through its Center for Capacity Building, the Alliance helps communities turn policies and proven best practices into viable, sustainable, on-the-ground programs. To learn more visit: www.endhomelessness.org. ABOUT PETSMART CHARITIES® PetSmart Charities, Inc. is committed to finding lifelong, loving homes for all pets by supporting programs and thought leadership that bring people and pets together. Through its in-store adoption program in all PetSmart® stores across the U.S. and Puerto Rico, PetSmart Charities helps to find forever homes and families for nearly 600,000 shelter pets each year. PetSmart Charities also provides grant funding to nonprofits aligned with its mission. Each year, millions of generous PetSmart shoppers help pets in need by donating to PetSmart Charities using the PIN pads at checkout registers inside PetSmart stores. In turn, PetSmart Charities efficiently uses more than 90 cents of every dollar donated to fulfill its role as the leading funder of animal welfare in North America, granting nearly $400 million since its inception in 1994. Independent from PetSmart Inc., PetSmart Charities is a 501(c)(3) organization that has received the Four-Star Rating from Charity Navigator, a third-party organization that reports on the effectiveness, accountability and transparency of nonprofits, for the past 16 years in a row — placing it among the top one percent of charities rated by this orga- nization. To learn more visit www.petsmartcharities.org. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The National Alliance to End Homelessness and PetSmart Charities® would like to acknowledge and thank the numerous organizations and stakeholders who have contributed their time and resources to inform this publication. They include: • ASPCA, Washington, DC • County of Sacramento, Homeless • Animal Care Centers of New York, Initiatives, Sacramento, CA New York City, NY • County of Sacramento, • Asheville Humane Society, Office of the County Executive, Asheville, NC Sacramento, CA • Bark Avenue Foundation, • County of Santa Clara, Office of Los Angeles, CA Supportive Housing, San Jose, CA • Capacity for Change, LLC, • County of Yuba, Yuba, CA West Chester, PA • Covenant House California, CA • Catholic Charities, Diocese of • District of Columbia Interagency Santa Rosa, Santa Rosa, CA Council on Homelessness, • Catholic Community Services Washington, DC and Catholic Housing Services, • Domestic Violence Resource Tacoma, WA Center, Reno, NV • Center for One Health Research, • Downtown Dog Rescue, University of Washington, Los Angeles, CA Seattle, WA • Downtown Emergency Services • City of Riverside, Office of Center (DESC), Seattle, WA Homeless Solutions, Riverside, CA • Family Promise of Monroe County, • City of Sacramento, Office of the Stroudsburg, PA City Manager, Sacramento, CA • Father Joe’s Villages, San Diego, CA • City of Sacramento, Homeless • Front Street Animal Shelter, Coordination, Sacramento, CA Sacramento, CA • City of Seattle, Seattle, WA • Gathering Friends for the • City of Spokane, Community, Homeless, Springfield, MO Housing, and Human Services, • Generous Insights, Springfield, MO Spokane, WA • George Washington Regional • Clark County Social Service, Commission, Continuum of Care, Las Vegas, NV Fredericksburg, VA • Community Access, New York, NY • Greater Wheeling Coalition for • Community Health Partnership, the Homeless, Wheeling, WV Colorado Springs, CO • Halton Region (The Regional • Community Veterinary Outreach, Municipality of Halton), Ottawa, ON Oakville, ON, Canada • Connecticut Coalition to End • Homeward, Richmond, VA Homelessness, Hartford, CT • Hope House Women’s Shelter, • Council of Community Services, Spokane, WA Gillette, WY continued » 1 | Improving Outcomes in Homelessness: Keeping People and Pets Together • Humane Rescue Alliance, • S.O.A.R. Initiative, Indianapolis, IN Washington, DC • Sacramento Steps Forward, • Humane Society of Silicon Valley, Sacramento, CA Milpitas, CA • San Diego Humane Society, • Humane Society of the San Diego, CA United States, Washington, DC • Seattle Dogs Homeless Program, • Interfaith Hospitality Network of Seattle, WA Greater Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH • Senator Philip D. Lewis Center, • Judeo-Christian Outreach Center, Gulfstream Goodwill Industries, Virginia Beach, VA West Palm Beach, FL • Julie McFarland Consultancy, • Southern Alliance for People and Seattle, WA Animal Welfare, Nashville, TN • Korean Women’s Association, • St. Vincent de Paul, Louisville, Tacoma, WA Louisville, KY • LA Family Housing, Los Angeles, CA • Start Corp, New Orleans, LA • Maricopa Association of • The Cloudburst Group, Landover, MD Governments, Phoenix, AZ • The Salvation Army, Missoula, MT • Massachusetts Coalition for the • The Salvation Army of Waco, Homeless, Lynn, MA Waco, TX • Miami-Dade County Homeless • The Shade Tree, Las Vegas, NV Trust, Miami, FL • Transitions Family Violence Services, • Miriam’s Kitchen, Washington, DC Newport, VA • My Dog is My Home, Milwaukie, OR • Transitions Projects, Portland, OR • National Network to End Domestic • United Way of the Plains, Wichita, KS Violence, Washington, DC • Volunteers of America, Eastern • New Horizons, Seattle, WA Washington and Northern Idaho, • New York City Mayor’s Office, Spokane, WA New York, NY • Volunteers of America, Northern • Noah’s Animal House, Las Vegas, NV California and Nevada, Reno, NV • North Carolina Coalition to • Washington State University, End Homelessness, Raleigh, NC College of Veterinary Medicine, • Operation Dignity, Oakland, CA Pullman, WA • OrgCode Consulting, Inc., • Your Way Home, Montgomery Oakville, ON County, PA • Pets of the Homeless, • YWCA Pierce County, Tacoma, WA Carson City, NV The Alliance would also like to thank the 346 respondents who completed its survey to identify and learn more about communities and organizations providing services to people experiencing homelessness with pets. This survey was sent to all 400+ Continuums of Care (CoCs) as well registrants of the Alliance’s Emergency Shelter Learning Series. The Alliance would like to particularly thank Ms. Rebecca Koppel and Mr. Alec Vandenberg for their work as interns with the Alliance to identify, research, and interview people experiencing homelessness with pets, homeless service providers, animal welfare organizations, and philanthropic institutions. Their work has contributed greatly to this resource and the work of the Alliance. 2 | Improving Outcomes in Homelessness: Keeping People and Pets Together Introduction In communities around the Evidence also reveals that despite policies and attempts United States, a significant by homeless service providers to encourage and/or require people experiencing homelessness with pets to number of people experiencing separate from or surrender them in order to improve their homelessness own pets.1 Evidence chances of accessing shelter, they rarely do.4 Instead, shows that animal companionship people experiencing homelessness with pets purposely seek out pet-friendly services.5 At best, homeless service 2 is fortifying and contributes providers who ensure pet-friendly programs increase to the emotional well-being of opportunities for engagement with some of the most people experiencing homelessness, vulnerable individuals and families in their communities; at worst, providers who do not provide pet-friendly services including encouraging owners risk perpetuating homelessness in their communities.6 to obtain sobriety, leave abusive relationships, and avoid While no empirical national data exist on the number of people experiencing homelessness with pets, some CoCs7 incarceration. Still, many pet- have begun collecting data. If these local numbers are owning individuals and families indicative of national trends, approximately 10% of people face limited access to shelter, experiencing homelessness do so with service animals, emotional support animals, or companion animals.8 services, and housing.3 The human-animal bond is so strong that many people experiencing homelessness will not live separated from their pet,9 and consequently cannot or do not access services like emergency shelter if their pets cannot accom- pany them.10 A formal, system-wide strategy to collect data is key to understanding how many people experiencing homelessness have pets, how to determine their associated housing and service needs, and the scale of this need. 3 | Improving Outcomes in Homelessness: Keeping People and Pets Together CoCs are ideally situated to collect data and information on homeless service programs and community partners that restrict access to services, shelter, and housing for people who have pets. This can help to ensure an effec- tive system response to these individuals and families. An effective homeless response system must provide