Street Paws provides free accessible vet care and support services to homeless people and their pets
Established in Newcastle in 2016, Street Paws provides:
- Free accessible veterinary care for people experiencing homelesness.
- Dog Champion Scheme to support hostels and temporary accommodation to welcome pets.
The bond between a homeless person and their companion animal is profound
For many homeless people, their animal can be their only relationship, this provides a source of unconditional love. Their animal is their whole world and give them a purpose in life. Homeless people care deeply about the health and welfare of their pets, but can find it impossible to access veterinary care or accommodation.
Our teams of veterinary volunteers locate, support and treat animals though our regular Outreach Sessions.
Our operations team respond to veterinary support requests outside of outreach. The Charity funds all treatment for conditions diagnosed by our veterinary teams. We refer and fund surgical procedures and neutering to our supporting veterinary practices. We work with other agencies supporting homeless people and will respond to any requests for help and advice.
Contact us for veterinary support info@streetpaws.org.uk
The health benefits of pet ownership are immense.
Both mentally and physically, but many rough sleepers are asked to give up their dogs to access services and support.
Street Paws Dog Champion Scheme provide solutions to homelessness and pet ownership by supporting hostels and temporary accommodation providers to become more pet friendly and accept both homeless pet owner and pet to maintain this incredible bond.
We believe that everyone deserves the right to a safe place to sleep and they shouldn't be asked to give up their pet to do so.
Help I am homeless or about to become homeless
It can be really scary to find yourself in a situation where you may be without a safe place to stay so we’ve put together this quick guide to help you start to get the help you need.
In England, contacting your local council is the best place to start. They have an obligation to help if you’re legally homeless or you’re going to become homeless within the next 8 weeks.
The term legally homeless can include the following situations:
- You're not able to access to your home, for example your landlord has locked you out
- it’s not safe for you to stay in your home, due to the risk of violence or abuse
- Your living conditions are very poor or overcrowded
If you’re not sure how to contact your local council, don't worry, you can search for them here: Help from your council if you’re homeless or at risk of homelessness - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Depending on your circumstances there are different types of support your council could offer you. That can start with some advice and lead on to help with emergency housing, support to find longer-term housing or possibly even help so you can stay in your home.
The type of help you can get will depend on your individual circumstances so the council will assess your eligibility for assistance. They will look at things like what led you to become homeless so they are able to decide if you are in priority need That tends to cover situations such as:
- You or someone you live with is pregnant
- You have ‘dependent children’ living with you (under 16s or under 19s if they’re studying full-time)
- You’re 16 or 17 years old or you’re under 21 and were in care between the ages of 16 and 18.
- Other reasons for being classes as vulnerable include old age, disability, domestic abuse or you’re homeless after a flood, fire or other disaster.
If you are a permanent UK resident, you should be eligible for some assistance.
If you’re not a UK resident, we’d recommend contacting Shelter who can give help and advice on the best options for you. You can contact them here: Immigration and residence restrictions - Shelter England
If you have the added pressure of needing to find somewhere safe for you and your dog then we understand this can make things seem even harder so although we’re not able to provide accommodation ourselves we’re here to guide you in the right direction to get help.
The first step would still be to contact your local council so you can register as being homeless so you can get all the support you need.
With our Dog Champions Scheme, we’re working hard to help make sure as many hostels and temporary accommodation providers are dog friendly as possible. To find services in your area who are willing to accept dogs you can use the Homeless Link website. You can find their helpful search tool here: Homeless England | Homeless Link
It’s worth bearing in mind that many temporary accommodation providers need you to be referred to them which is why going through your local council is the best way to get started.
