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Prevalence of pet provision and reasons for including or excluding animals by homelessness accommodation services

Prevalence of pet provision and reasons for including or excluding animals by homelessness accommodation services
Prevalence of pet provision and reasons for including or excluding animals by homelessness accommodation services
Pets provide companionship and social facilitation among excluded populations, including homeless people. However, having a pet may restrict access to services, including accommodation. The aims of this study were to assess pet provision among homelessness accommodation providers, and to assess reasons for pet provision or exclusion. An online survey consisting of multiple choice questions and free text boxes was distributed to a UK-wide sampling frame of homelessness service providers in July 2016. Of 523 contacts, 117 replied (response rate 22.4%). Of the respondents, 36.8% (43/117) provided services to pets. In contrast, 76.9% (90/117) reported having requests to accommodate pets. Common reasons for choosing to accept pets included perceived benefit to the owner (36/43, 83.7%) or animal (25/43, 58.1%). Most organizations which allowed pets (35/43, 81.4%) had a policy to ensure the animals’ welfare and restrict damage or nuisance. Of the 74 organizations which did not allow pets, health and safety of staff and other residents were the most common concerns. This study shows that demand for pet-friendly accommodation for homeless people far outstrips supply. In view of the important role that pets play for these vulnerable people, homelessness service providers should be encouraged and assisted to accommodate pets where feasible.
Homelessness, dogs, human-animal bond, human-animal interaction, pets
1053-0789
1-7
Scanlon, Louise
3700fb4c-4c2b-447a-8b45-bc760e7e4b2b
Mcbride, Anne
8f13b829-a141-4b67-b2d7-08f839972646
Stavisky, Jenny
efc17c02-3e30-46c8-80db-5031bc98a7fa
Scanlon, Louise
3700fb4c-4c2b-447a-8b45-bc760e7e4b2b
Mcbride, Anne
8f13b829-a141-4b67-b2d7-08f839972646
Stavisky, Jenny
efc17c02-3e30-46c8-80db-5031bc98a7fa

Scanlon, Louise, Mcbride, Anne and Stavisky, Jenny (2020) Prevalence of pet provision and reasons for including or excluding animals by homelessness accommodation services. Journal of Social Distress and Homelessness, 1-7. (doi:10.1080/10530789.2020.1754602).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Pets provide companionship and social facilitation among excluded populations, including homeless people. However, having a pet may restrict access to services, including accommodation. The aims of this study were to assess pet provision among homelessness accommodation providers, and to assess reasons for pet provision or exclusion. An online survey consisting of multiple choice questions and free text boxes was distributed to a UK-wide sampling frame of homelessness service providers in July 2016. Of 523 contacts, 117 replied (response rate 22.4%). Of the respondents, 36.8% (43/117) provided services to pets. In contrast, 76.9% (90/117) reported having requests to accommodate pets. Common reasons for choosing to accept pets included perceived benefit to the owner (36/43, 83.7%) or animal (25/43, 58.1%). Most organizations which allowed pets (35/43, 81.4%) had a policy to ensure the animals’ welfare and restrict damage or nuisance. Of the 74 organizations which did not allow pets, health and safety of staff and other residents were the most common concerns. This study shows that demand for pet-friendly accommodation for homeless people far outstrips supply. In view of the important role that pets play for these vulnerable people, homelessness service providers should be encouraged and assisted to accommodate pets where feasible.

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More information

Accepted/In Press date: 6 April 2020
e-pub ahead of print date: 22 April 2020
Keywords: Homelessness, dogs, human-animal bond, human-animal interaction, pets

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 441619
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/441619
ISSN: 1053-0789
PURE UUID: a2f2da1f-117e-499c-8c56-f7916abf0cdf

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Date deposited: 19 Jun 2020 16:38
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 08:20

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Contributors

Author: Louise Scanlon
Author: Anne Mcbride
Author: Jenny Stavisky

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