Homeless service providers from across San Diego County and even out of state got tips on how to provide shelter and housing to clients with pets at an open house Thursday at Father Joe’s Village. Ta.
The event was the first of its kind in San Diego and one of four held annually by New York-based nonprofit My Dog is My Home.
“We’re showing them that it’s not a big deal,” Christine Kim, founder of My Dog is My Home, told guests gathered in Father Joe’s Village’s community room. told.
Pet ownership remains a barrier in many shelters and housing programs across the country, and Kim started her nonprofit in 2016 to help service providers help people and pets coexist. said.
She began hosting open houses in 2022, making stops in Cincinnati, New York and Los Angeles before coming to San Diego.
Jesse Casement, director of customer service for Father Joe’s Villages, told a group of about 20 representatives from service providers and several government agencies that one of the first challenges she faced was how to help customers. He said his job was to convince staff that allowing pets was not an ordeal.
“They were like, ‘What if we bring in a monkey?'” she recalled people saying. “Many people are probably asking the same question.”
After Father Joe’s began accepting service and emotional support animals in 2010, the nonprofit decided to lower the bar even further in 2020 and accept all pets, which led to more Concerns arose.
Casement said the policy change could overwhelm shelters with dogs and cats. In reality, Casement said he didn’t see much of an increase.
“There was some dog-on-dog crime, but nothing really beyond that,” Casement said. “We had a rooster for emotional support. It was a learning curve.”
Father Joe’s campus will have several physical accommodations, including a pet rescue area, and scheduled regular visits by a veterinarian.
Father Joe’s still asks customers if their pet is an emotional support or service animal, but no documentation is required to prove it. Casement said it’s good to know the pet classification when looking for housing for clients, as landlords may have restrictions in place.
Casement said Father Joe has a written policy on pet ownership and there are rules. Wild, livestock, and poisonous animals are prohibited, and there are restrictions on where pets are allowed.
Speakers included Father Joe’s client Gillian Grace, who spoke about how her dog Caboose is her best friend. Research shows that most pet owners are likely to turn down a shelter if their pet is not allowed.
Open house attendees also included representatives from Pine Street Inn in Boston and Shepherd’s House in Mount Airy, North Carolina, two of Massachusetts’ largest service providers.
Philip Cuollo, Pine Street Inn’s director of operational compliance, said his nonprofit allows emotional support and service animals, but not pets, so many people don’t. He said he had been refused.
“We want to change that,” he said. “We want to get them into the shelter and that’s why I’m here. To get information back.”
Father Joe’s has allowed at least 724 animals to be kept at its facility since 2010 and currently has 26. Overall, 43% were pets, 39% were emotional support animals, and 17% were service animals.
