Federal & State Laws

• Fair Housing Act

Resources

• OAA Resource Directory: searchable tool to find places where to get free pet food (many animal shelters can also provide limited food); low-cost pet sterilization services, and report animal abuse (when in doubt, call your local law enforcement or humane officer).
• OAA’s Grants & Assistance page lists funders that will provide support for financially challenged families and the homeless, as well as funding for service dogs for the disabled.
• OAA Emergency Vet Expense Resources factsheet for families in need.
• In 2021 Petsmart Charities created the Preserving Families Program – a new funding initiative that supports programs that keep people and pets together through times of crisis, such as domestic violence, homelessness and hospice situations. 
• Organization pet food donations: Purina has a charitable pet food donation process for 501(c)(3) organizations
• Organization pet food donations: Federal Emergency Management Assistance (FEMA) aid is possible. Ohio organizations must register through Ohio Emergency Management Agency, 2855 W Dublin-Granville Rd, Columbus OH 43235-2206. Office: (614) 889-7150. Fax: (614) 889-7183. If/when FEMA provides assistance, and if pet food is part of the assistance, registered organizations will be on the list to receive.
• Rescue Bank: a program by Greater Good Charities that receives excess/discontinued pet food and related products and distributes it through regional affiliates.
• Human Animal Support Services (HASS) has created the Keeping Families Together Eviction Response Toolkit. This toolkit provides animal shelters with tangible ways for shelters to support people so they can keep their pets if facing eviction.
• Service Animals and Emotional Support Animals Guide
• Animal Care Guidelines for Emergency Co-Sheltering

News Media

• The Morning Journal, 10/18/2023, “Police charge owner of dog that was abandoned and died in Vermilion“
• Maddie’s Fund, 10/17/2023, “Research confirms the need for pet assistance for hospitalized patients“
• Adam Schiff, 09/21/2022, “Schiff, Crow, Bush Urge Hud to End Exorbitant Pet Fees in Public Housing“
• Associated Press, 05/01/2022, “Homeless shelters begin to see value in making room for pets“
• Talk Poverty, 11/12/2021, “Most Americans Have Pets. Almost One Third Can’t Afford Their Vet Care“
• NBC4 Columbus, 03/12/2020, “Terminally ill pets get homes with special adoption program,”

Literature & Toolkits

• A new study reveals there are also “veterinary deserts” in low-income areas. The lack of accessible care often means people must travel farther to get to the vet, which makes routine care more costly and less convenient.
• The December 2021 Community Veterinary Outreach newsletter highlights key research that shows pets of the homeless are well cared for.
• The National Alliance to End Homelessness has a Keeping Pets and People Together tool kit, available for download.
• Washington Post, 8/15/2021, “As evictions rise, people may have to give up their pets. Animal shelters are calling for help.”, a recent Washington Post article explains how Humane Animal Support Services has created a way to calculate the number of pets that could be affected by eviction in each county.
• Florida Today, Melbourne, 6/24/2021, the Brevard Health Alliance and Brevard Street Dog Coalition teamed up to meet the needs of pets and people for a clinic for pet owners without secure housing. People who may not seek care for themselves can be motivated by the chance to obtain care for their animals.
• Access to Veterinary Care:  Barriers, Current Practices, and Public Policy, University of Tennessee, 12/17/2018
• Dogster.com, 02/24/2016, “Let’s Get Behind Programs That Help Low-Income Families Keep Their Pets,” Kezia Willingham
• Sustainable Development Law & Policy: Vol 18, Issue 1, Article 11, “Serving Pets in Poverty: A New Frontier for the Animal Welfare Movement,” Amanda Arrington and Michael Markarian
• Goodbye to a Good Friend: An Exploration of the Rehoming of Cats and Dogs in the US, E. Wiess, S. Gramann, S. SPain & M. Slater, Open Journal of Animal Sciences, 5: 435-456
• How Owner and Pet Demographics Affect Pet Body Condition Among People Experiencing Homelessness and Housing Vulnerability, a study conducted in Canada, in association with the nonprofit Community Veterinary Outreach (CVO), suggests that the health of pets owned by homeless and vulnerably-housed individuals is generally good and comparable to other populations of owned pets. CVO Animal Care Guidelines.

Websites

• Affiliations and Partnerships page (links to many related organizations)
• Coalition on Homeless and Housing in Ohio (COHHIO)
• Community Veterinary Outreach
• Hospets
• Human Animal Support Services (HAAS)
• Maddie’s Fund
• My Dog is My Home: a national nonprofit dedicated to preserving the human-animal bond in circumstances of homelessness.
• Pets of the Homeless: a national organization devoted to “keeping pets and humans together.” They provide a variety of resources to the unhoused community including pet food, emergency veterinary care, wellness clinics, and help locating pet-friendly shelters.