Seven animal welfare organizations in Arizona formed the Pet Housing Help AZ task force to offer resources to citizens who can no longer afford their furry best friends. Adoptions, fostering and temporary homes are options available to anyone experiencing sky-rocketing rent prices.
The Arizona Housing Coalition shows that extraordinary rent increases are coinciding with a rise in first-time homelessness, with elderly citizens being significantly impacted. People becoming displaced, with no finances available to afford their pets, leads to crowded animal shelters with thousands of homeless pets.
“What we are finding at the Arizona Humane Society is that even if pet owners are finding a place to rent, another applicant may swoop in and offer to pay a higher monthly rent,” said Lindsay La Pre, the Arizona Humane Society’s Pet Resource Center manager. “For some, this may mean having to make the difficult decision of choosing between keeping their pet or having a place to stay.”
The task force serves the community by offering solutions, including temporary foster programs for pet owners; increasing surrender prevention and intervention efforts; increasing collaboration with human and health service agencies and animal shelters; increasing education and awareness around the benefits of pet-friendly housing for landlords; and offering a specialized website with resources and easy-to-use tools to help owners find permanent or temporary homes for their pets.
Pet owners in need of help or community members who want to help can visit www.pethousinghelpaz.org. Pet owners can sign up to rehome their pet or connect with fellow pet lovers to temporarily foster their pet. Those who want to help can sign up to become a temporary foster parent to a pet owner in need.
