February 29, 2020

Audience: Executive Leadership, Public, Shelter/Rescue Staff & Volunteers, Veterinary Team

Organization: Animals & Society Institute
Investigator(s): Dr. Lisa Lunghofer
Grant Amount: $50,000.00
Project Type: Basic Research
Project Status: Research Complete

Project Summary

This Animals & Society Institute study assessed animal-friendly homeless shelters' current approaches to handling animals accompanied by people experiencing homelessness by documenting challenges, key issues and lessons learned. Using a comparative case study approach, individual interviews were conducted with staff and focus groups with clients with and without animals. The final sample included four organizations, one less than the five originally intended. However, one of the organizations had three separate service sites serving three distinct geographic areas. Staff at all four organizations described an incremental approach to development of policy and practice guidelines, developing protocols as issues arise or as new information became available. While concerns were shared about adequate care of animals and safety to others, the benefits of having animals in the shelters were widely acknowledged.

Objective(s)

The objective of the project was: to better understand how service providers are accommodating homeless clients who have companion animals.

Methods

This qualitative study of homeless service providers used a comparative case study approach to provide an in-depth understanding of the providers' policies and practices, the context in which those strategies have been implemented, the rationale for the strategies, barriers to and facilitators to implementation, lessons learned and clients' perceptions of and experiences with them. The sample included these four organizations that serve people who are homeless and their companion animals: St. Felix Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada; LA Family Housing in Los Angeles, CA; The People Concern in Los Angeles, CA; and Father Joe's Villages in San Diego, CA.

A total of 16 staff members, 23 clients with animals and 14 clients without animals participated in the study. Qualitative data collection methods included individual interviews with the director and staff of each organization and focus groups or individual interviews with clients living in a homeless shelter with and without companion animals.

Results

• Site visits were conducted to each of these locations resulting in a final sample that included four organizations and six sites.
• Shelter policy that allowed accommodation of animals was a critical factor in people's decision to leave the street and seek shelter.
• Despite some shelter administrators' concerns that accommodating animals would result in animals flooding the shelter, only about 5 - 10% of the clients at each shelter had animals.
• There is significant confusion about assistance animals among both staff and clients, including the legal definition, federal requirements regarding reasonable accommodation, and how an animal is deemed a service or support animal. Three of the four organizations in the study had a stated policy only to accept service or emotional animals.
• Ensuring the welfare of animals in co-sheltering environments is important, but the shelters struggled with defining adequate care, ensuring it's provided, managing cases in which it's not, training staff, and educating clients.
• Maintaining the minimal requirements of a low barrier shelter while also ensuring the health and well-being of people and animals can pose significant challenges.
• The benefits to clients and staff of having animals in the shelter were widely acknowledged.

Conclusions

Recognizing both the challenges and benefits of co-sheltering environments for people experiencing homelessness with their pets, there is little research or evaluation on the practice. To address this gap in understanding of current and emerging practices in co-sheltering, this study's findings will help inform development of animal-friendly policies and practices in homeless shelters nationwide, reducing the likelihood that animals will be relinquished simply because their caregivers are experiencing a period of homelessness.

Furthermore, the study lays the groundwork for more intensive outcome-based research on the effects of such policies and practices on the well-being of pets and people alike.