In February, Andrew Jones received a 30-day eviction notice. He was finally evicted on April 25, leaving him and his 2-year-old puppy, Barbie, homeless.
In a study published in the National Library of Medicine, 6 to 24% of people experiencing homelessness own a pet. These individuals face a number of challenges such as finding affordable veterinary care, finding a safe place to look after the pet when attending appointments and finding a place that will welcome the pet and owner for a night.
“Everyday things like finding places to sleep that are safe, that you are not gonna be harassed by not just people, but police officers and animals, things like that,” Jones said about some of the challenges he has run across.
In Longmont, the struggle just got easier when Annie and Millie’s Place received a $15,000 grant from PetSmart Charities which will be used to bolster staff who facilitate programs to help those experiencing homelessness better care for their pets.
Annie and Millie’s Place is a Longmont nonprofit that focuses on keeping people experiencing homelessnes with their pets. The organization was founded by Kristen Baltrum after she and her family had to set boundaries with her sister, Annie.
Annie experienced homelessness but through it all she had her faithful companion, Millie.
In her experience, Baltrum has found that homeless individuals will value the health of their pet over their own health because their pet is not just an animal, but a member of their family.
“We have found that the family for the person really is that animal companion, that companion gives them love unconditionally, sometimes it offers protection, sometimes it offers purpose,” Baltrum said.
Baltrum acknowledged the stigma surrounding individuals experiencing homelessness owning pets. For instance, that these pets are not taken care of or are not loved. In the past she carried the same thoughts when she was dealing with her sister, Annie.
Annie was homeless living with her dog Millie and when Baltrum’s family needed to establish boundaries with Annie, Millie stayed by her side the entire time.
After seeing Millie with Annie, Baltrum realized that pets provide homeless individuals with companionship and love which provide mental and emotional support.
“That’s why we have emotional support animals and service animals. These animals of homeless friends are doing the same service they just may not have that certification. Just like my pets here in my home offer me comfort, love and support. They are doing the same thing for that person who isn’t domiciled,” Baltrum said.
Through a free veterinary care clinic, hosted by Annie and Milli’s Place, Jones was able to get his dog free veterinary care, like shots, so he could place his dog in doggy day care while he is at work.
“But for a person like me, it was not only priceless for Barbie to be taken care of. It gave me an opportunity to refuel my spirit by being around a bunch of good people that otherwise I would have never met,” Jones said.
One of the largest problems for homeless individuals with pets is co-sheltering, according to both Jones and Baltrum. This led Baltrum to partner with Rachel Shannon, owner of Dee-O-Gee doggie day care and Joe Meggison, from HOPE’s SafeLot program to establish a program for those experiencing homelessness.
“We're in partnership with HOPE for Longmont and their clients at the SafeLot program and for them many of those people have to go to work and have animals. So we are working to provide doggy day care for their animals so they can go to work,” Baltrum said.
Shannon wanted to help her community in any way she could, so she decided to offer doggie day care at a reduced rate for homeless individuals. She has space for up to 15 dogs and it is first come first serve. Meggison said at least two to three SafeLot clients utilize the service each week.
“We need more things for the homeless with pets who are living in their car because they can’t leave their dog in the car. So it's hard for them to go to appointments to get that outreach that they need because they are afraid to leave their pet,” Shannon said, adding “So giving them a helping hand, taking that stress off of their loved one that they care so much about, that’s their family member will help them tremendously, I feel,” Shannon said.
“... it means everything to me to be able to connect the dots in honor of Annie and Millie, but also to offer it to someone else who might not have it, is beyond what I can even state,” Baltrum said.
