Pets Affected by Pandemic Housing Insecurity
Americans have been dealing with increasing housing insecurity for many years. Gentrification in our nation’s most popular cities, among many other factors, helps drive people from their homes with homelessness rates increasing for the fourth straight year:
Unsurprisingly, COVID has exacerbated many systemic social issues present prior to the pandemic, with homelessness and housing insecurity disproportionately affected by unemployment and underemployment. Earlier this spring, the Biden administration stated that homelessness has certainly increased during COVID, but it is difficult to determine how much of that increase is directly related to issues surrounding job insecurity due to COVID.
The New York Times reported, “Even before the pandemic, homelessness was re-emerging as a major national problem, especially in big cities. The country’s two biggest cities, New York and Los Angeles, account for a quarter of all homeless people counted in the 2020 survey” (Thrush, 2021).
Many people finding themselves in difficult positions this year, and in years past, have pets to care for and refuse to part with their best friends simply because of their financial and housing situations.
Five to ten percent of homeless Americans have pets.
Resources for homeless Americans, and their pets, are even more difficult to manage during COVID with social distancing practices, restrictions on indoor gatherings as well as limited monetary support provided by donations.
It is essential that we assist those that have been affected most by COVID and provide them with the essential services and support that will not only keep them alive and safe, but to also provide for their best friends.
Homeless Americans have the same connections to their pets as anyone else, in fact, those experiencing homelessness find respite in their pets due to their companionship, security, and the unconditional love a pet feels for its human(s).
America’s homeless, and their pets, are counting on social services to help them meet their basic needs of food, shelter and safety. These services have been impacted disproportionately by the COVID crisis that has gripped the planet and killed hundreds of thousands of Americans, including the homeless.
Check out these resources and, if you can, donate to protect all Americans…including the four-legged ones.