The Arizona Pet Project’s new Homeless Community Counselor supports the City of Phoenix’s unhoused families with pets. That’s why The Arizona Pet Project is delighted to announce that The City of Phoenix and The Arizona Pet Project have received the BETTER CITIES FOR PETS™ grant from Mars Petcare to further support the Homeless Community Counselor role.
The housing crisis in Phoenix is the single biggest threat facing families and pets in our community. Eviction rates and homelessness are reaching record highs, with seniors among the most affected.
With this $10,000 BETTER CITIES FOR PETS™ grant awarded to The City of Phoenix and The Arizona Pet Project, we will be able to provide services to even more unhoused families and their loved pets across the Valley!
In every study conducted on unsheltered people with pets, the data is clear — their pet’s needs are placed ahead of theirs, including food, medical attention, and safeguards against extreme weather. People with pets feel purpose, and this is especially true for people experiencing homelessness. We have seen first-hand how transformative the human-animal bond can be, and how a pet’s unconditional love provides mental and physical health benefits.
By taking a street outreach approach, The Arizona Pet Project’s Homeless Community Counselor connects people and pets living in homeless shelters, encampments, on the street, and in cars, with care for themselves and their pets.
The focus of this program is to provide people experiencing homelessness alongside their pets with support and resources to gain stabilization, safe shelter, temporary or permanent housing, or provide pet-related care, including veterinary care, food, supplies, and temporary boarding.
Since 2005, The Arizona Pet Project’s revolutionary programs have impacted over 150,000 pets and their beloved owners. Working alongside the City of Phoenix and Mayor Gallego’s office, The Arizona Pet Project will use this $10,000 BETTER CITIES FOR PETS™ grant from Mars Petcare to improve the lives of even more of our unhoused families and their beloved pets.
The BETTER CITIES FOR PETS™ program was created by Mars Petcare, the world’s leading pet nutrition and healthcare business, in partnership with experts in city planning and animal welfare, and government stakeholders. It includes a playbook for cities, city and airport certification programs, grants, best practice research, policy advocacy and free online resources. More than 100 cities have been certified through the program and it has awarded nearly half a million dollars in grants to support pet-friendly initiatives. Find out more at BetterCitiesForPets.com.
The Arizona Pet Project is an Arizona based 501(C)3 focused on supporting families with pets during times of financial hardship and crisis, preventing the unnecessary surrender of pets to Valley shelters and removing barriers to human-care. More information on the organization and the clients we serve can be found at www.azpetproject.org.
