The Impact of the Affordability and Housing Crises on Pets
Every single day, people across Arizona reach out to our social workers and share the heartbreaking choices they face each month as their available cash shrinks and their expenses grow. Affordability is a word that is on the tip of everyone’s tongue these days, but for many, it’s not a new issue.
Since 2022, the amount Arizonans spend on rent and basic needs has exploded, and so too have evictions.
In 2024 alone, a record 87,000 households were evicted just in Maricopa County.
Alongside these families were their pets.
While we all know how critical pets are to the well-being of their people, for those facing financial crises or life-altering circumstances they are even more important. However, pets can also present unique challenges to those facing housing instability.
Finding new housing often means facing breed and size restrictions and extra fees, like pet deposits and pet rent. If affordable housing is unavailable (which is often the case), staying with friends and family becomes more difficult when you add pets to the equation. Living in a car with pets, especially during the summer, means you can no longer leave them to go to work, putting employment at risk and making it harder to get back on your feet. And finally, homeless shelters may require vaccines, emotional support animal certification, or worse, not accept pets at all!
These factors are why pet owners are most at risk when facing housing insecurity and homelessness, and why housing issues are the fastest-growing reason why people surrender their beloved pets to animal shelters, even though it breaks their hearts to let them go. For those who keep their pets, the road back to stability can be long and difficult.
Nearly 70% of the clients we serve are housing insecure or experiencing homelessness in some form. This includes clients like Melissa and her family, who, in July of 2024, were in a major car accident. The collision caused Melissa’s car to catch on fire while she and her children were still trapped inside. After several excruciatingly scary moments, thankfully, everyone escaped.
After the accident, Melissa suffered from severe PTSD and depression, and the trauma left her unable to work. She applied for the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), but paperwork delays caused her to lose her job and her family’s sole source of income. Without a job, Melissa was unable to pay rent, and five days after the eviction filing, she, her children, and their dog, Lucy, were without a home.
Side note: Arizona, with has the fastest eviction process in the country – five days from filing to decision! Even a small change to these unjust laws would make a huge difference for families in crisis. The Arizona Pet Project is committed to advocacy efforts that bring about change at the systemic level.
Melissa was able to find a friend to take care of her children and someone else to take care of Lucy, but she, with nowhere else to go, moved into her car.
Tomorrow, we will send Part 2 of the blog, sharing how The Arizona Pet Project, with support from the State, has spent the past two years on the front lines helping families stay housed and together by preventing evictions, addressing housing insecurity, and combating homelessness. We’ll also have a heartwarming update on Melissa and her family, including Lucy the dog. Stay tuned!
