Most shelters for people experiencing homelessness still don’t accept pets. But a bill under consideration in the California Legislature aims to make such shelter partnerships more common. Authored by Democratic Sen. Bob Hertzberg of Van Nuys, it would create $5 million in state general fund grants for homeless shelters to offer shelter, care and veterinary services to the pets of people staying there.
“If you want to get people off the street—and I see it as an emergency—we’ve just got to change how we treat people,” he said. “Then let’s provide a shelter for their pets. It’s a small price to pay for a much a larger issue.”
A no-pet policy is one of the biggest barriers that keep people away from shelters, he said. In a city the size of Los Angeles, he said, only a handful of homeless shelters accept pets—but those that do are finding it successful.
When speaking to people experiencing homelessness, said Megan Hustings, director of the organization, she often observed people with pets would feed their companions before feeding themselves.
“Pets do become our family members and especially when you’re going through a traumatic situation like homelessness,” she said. “You’re going to rely on those connections because they’re usually pretty far and few between.”
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