Animal welfare organizations across the valley have combined their efforts to create the Pet Housing Help AZ Task Force, a coalition that supports pet owners struggling financially due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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     About a year ago, the following organizations came together after it was determined that hundreds of Arizonans may be displaced from their homes or facing financial insecurities due to the pandemic:

• The Arizona Humane Society

• The Arizona Pet Project

• The Arizona Animal Welfare League & SPCA

• Heidi’s Village

• Lost Our Home 

• Altered Tails Barnhart Clinic

• Maricopa County Animal Care & Control

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     According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Arizona started 2020 with an unemployment rate of 4.8%, which peaked at 14.2% in April and has gradually decreased since.

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     In addition, reports from the National Low Income Housing Coalition and the University of Arizona’s Innovation for Justice program estimated that at least 210,000 homes in Arizona have been at risk of eviction this past year.

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     “A lot of families don’t know their rights,” said Leanna Taylor, the executive director of the Arizona Pet Project.  “We’re also seeing a lot of individuals...voluntarily leaving their houses because they don’t want the scarlet E of an eviction on their record in perpetuity.”

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     Members of the task force have been concerned about displacements that would occur when the eviction moratorium ends.  The moratorium was put in place to allow renters to stay in their homes despite not being able to pay rent.  It was originally supposed to end on January 31 of this year,  but the CDC issued an order to extend the moratorium to March 31.  Months after that order was made, the CDC added another extension to the moratorium so that it expires in June.

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     However, the moratorium extension has only been a temporary solution for those struggling to pay their rent and it does not guarantee evasion from homelessness.  Well before the pandemic, many families in the valley, living paycheck to paycheck, were struggling to find resources.

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     “We have been grappling with these issues as a community for 10 years,” said Taylor.  “Affordable housing is a major issue in our community and then of course with COVID — with...the job losses and medical bills — it has made it worse.”

 

 

Services

     

     Pet Housing Help AZ supports the community in a variety of areas.  Pet owners with need can receive support, including supplies, temporary boarding, financial assistance, low-cost vet care, and finding a foster home for their pet.

In addition, the Arizona Humane Society, Arizona Pet Project, and Lost Our Home provide connections to human services, including food banks and rental assistance.  

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     “This wasn’t really created in response to COVID, but COVID has absolutely exacerbated the need for these types of services in our community,” said Taylor.

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     Through the Arizona Humane Society and Lost Our Home, Arizonans can fill out an application to gain access to low-cost pet food.

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     “Let’s say someone is unemployed and they’re really having a hard time.  They apply, then we’ll approve that, and what they can do is they can receive a month's supply of food for their animal.  And then if the situation continues they can get up to six months of free food for their pet,” said Irene Ambler, the marketing manager of Lost Our Home.

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     To ensure everyone’s safety throughout the pandemic, several services have become remote.  Assistance that requires in-person interaction — including adoptions, fostering, medical appointments, and volunteer work — is set up via appointment and requires everyone to be wearing masks.  

   

     While the task force did receive some money from the City of Phoenix, funding for these programs come from a variety of outlets.

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     Organizations that don’t charge clients for their services get their funding from grants or donations.  Some of the organizations within the task force obtain animal supplies as offerings from pet charities.

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     Those who are in need of a helping hand due to the pandemic can easily get connected to programs within and outside the task force through their website.

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     “It's like a direct connection versus having to go through all the steps of bringing him or her to the shelter first and what have you,” said Ambler.

 

 

Temporary Care Program

     

     One of the largest parts of the Pet Housing Help AZ Task Force is their Temporary Care Program.  

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     Temporary Care includes boarding and feeding within 90-day periods for pets that are “housing insecure.”  This program allows struggling pet owners to have time to find work or more secure housing without the stress of caring for their pets.  

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     “That’s where I was getting my referrals quite often as I was helping with that homeless individual...or I was helping that person that didn’t have a job try to find something that paid better or get back into the workforce,” said Valerie Kime Trujillo, a social worker at the Arizona Pet Project that specializes in shelter intervention.

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     It is also a beneficial resource for those who have a medical emergency and need to stay in the hospital for long periods of time.

 

     “We had a case where a gentleman had COVID and he was hospitalized,” said Ambler.  “None of the family members could take care of his pet, and he was able to bring that pet here and we were able to care for it while he was in the hospital.”

 

     The Temporary Care Program is primarily hosted in animal shelters, especially Heidi’s Village and Lost our Home, for long-term boarding.  However, pets can also stay in foster homes if their owner fills out an application.

 

     “We’ve seen a range of people using our (temporary care) program for as short as a week because they’re able to find a solution within their family or friends that’s easier for them, to as long as over 90 days,” said Jenna Diaz, a social worker for the Arizona Humane Society that specializes in surrender prevention and resource navigation.  “We try to work with what’s in need for our clients so that we don’t have to result in surrender.”

 

     The Arizona Humane Society, Lost Our Home, the Animal Welfare League, and Heidi’s Village — which specifically act as a support for rescues — coordinate their efforts in temporary care to avoid a stretch in space and resources. 

 

     “Our organization needed assistance with some owner-surrender animals that were slated to come into our shelter but we, unfortunately, did not have capacity,” said Kate Mayeski, the Arizona Humane Society’s Senior Manager of Surrender, Prevention, and Intake.  “So we reached out to our partners at Heidi’s Village and they were able to temporarily hold those pets for us and return them when we had capacity.”

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     In addition, several organizations in the task force are partnered with private boarding facilities, including Alta Vista, that have vet clinics on-site.

 

 

Vet Services

 

     The most predominant requested service from the task force has been accessibility to free or low-cost vet care, in addition, to support with vet fees.

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     “Depending on what is needed, we can either pay for all of (their) services or...a lot of times we’ll help get a down payment so they can get a payment plan that is more sustainable to get their pets the care that they need,” said Diaz.

 

     Vet care is provided by a majority of organizations in the force, especially general health services like spaying, neutering, and vaccinations.  

 

     Veterinarians at Heidi’s Village shared that they also get frequent requests for FHOs, a surgical procedure that is conducted on larger dogs that have hip problems. 

 

     Since many pet owners have limited budgets due to the pandemic, financially accessible vet care has been useful in helping prevent the surrender of ill pets or those with medical conditions.

 

     “More and more of people’s salaries are being eaten up by just meeting their basic needs, which leaves very little money for that family to deal with any unexpected expenses, like vet care,” said Taylor.

 

     Easy access to general vet services also allows those who need to go into a domestic violence or homeless shelter be able to fulfill medical requirements so they can bring their pet with them.

 

 

Pet Surrender

 

     The goal of a majority of the organizations in the task force is to prevent pet surrenders, meaning they strive to keep pets and their families together despite the obstacles they may be facing.

 

     “So when a family would come in to surrender their pet, we’re gonna intervene,” said Taylor.  “We’re gonna find out all the reasons for why they would be surrendering that animal and if there’s a way for us to keep that pet with their family.” 

 

     Several people involved in the task force have claimed that when animals are surrendered, they tend to be strays found on the street that end up either returned to their owners or brought up for adoption.  

 

     “It’s very rare that someone doesn’t want their pet back,” said Mayeski.  “Those situations...will probably decrease over time as the conversations in animal welfare continue to evolve to include more (of) the client focus rather than just the pet.”

 

     According to Bretta Nelson, the Arizona Humane Society’s Public Relations Manager, Maricopa County Animal Care and Control takes care of “healthy strays," while the Arizona Humane Society plays a large role working with “sick, injured and abused homeless animals.”   

 

 

Being Better Together

     

     Members of the task force meet frequently to check in with one another and find ways to “complement each other’s services.”

 

     “(Meeting) every two weeks has been the standard,” said Taylor.  “I believe we are looking to move that to every three weeks because the bulk of the work has already been done and now the work is more with the subcommittees.”

 

     Subcommittees are composed of representatives from each task force organization that focus on a particular area, including marketing/communication and intake/capacity.

 

     “It has really made us a lot more efficient...in filling the gaps when we’re short somewhere...and making sure that that individual and that animal is taken care of,” said Trujillo.

 

     By uniting into a single unit, the partner organizations of the Pet Housing AZ Task Force have been able to provide people and their pets with a vast array of resources that each organization would not be able to tackle on their own.

 

     “It is important to have groups that offer different solutions because it’s impossible for us to all be experts and have the kennel space, the resources (and) trainers...to be an end-all, be-all solution,” said Mayeski.  “It’s been so encouraging to see so many people and agencies rise up to the occasion, but it’s definitely not enough and we have a lot more work to do.” 

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