Pets and Evictions: Keeping Families Intact in a Crisis
« The COVID-19 crisis has drawn into sharp focus the many difficulties that renters face, including those who have pets. Unprecedented housing hardships are being felt throughout the country and not unlike past economic recessions, news of sweeping evictions is becoming disturbingly familiar. There are tens of millions of families facing housing insecurity and who are at risk of homelessness due to lack of affordable and available housing for low-income renters as well as being severely housing cost-burdened, meaning they spend more than 50% of their income on housing costs.
Today, an estimated 30–40 million renters are at risk of being evicted when moratoriums lift and with 72% of renters owning pets, the number of animals displaced with their people could be catastrophic. For most, pets are considered family members yet in many ways our society does not consider that important relationship in times of crisis. The human-animal bond offers countless mental and physical benefits, and at a time when people are at risk of losing so much, it’s critical for those tasked with enforcing an eviction to do everything within their power to help preserve and protect that relationship.
In this session, you will learn about what considerations to make for pets when preparing eviction notices and enforcing eviction orders, about the importance of companion animals for many families and stability they can provide for at-risk people in times of uncertainty, and how to utilize your community’s resources to help keep pets and their families together. »
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Évènement de The Justice Clearinghouse
