Keeping Pets and People Together ;

IMPACT (The UK centre for implementing evidence in adult social care) has brought together organisations whose vision aligns including Street Paws, StreetVet, Dogs Trust - Together Through Homelessness and Vets on the Street to work collaboratively. This project aims to raise awareness and drive improvements in pet-inclusive homelessness accommodation. Our goal is to shift the narrative away from a compliance-based lens of mere ‘acceptance’ which often frames pets as a problem, to a strength-based perspective that highlights what is strong rather than what is wrong.

The project moved through several key phases: listening to people with lived experience and those working in homelessness and animal welfare; co-designing ideas through a series of online workshops; and bringing everyone together for an in-person workshop to deepen understanding and capture stories and visuals that bring it to life. This work resulted in the creation of a charter.

The Charter recognises that keeping people and their companion animals together is not simply an issue of animal welfare; it is fundamental to person-centred, trauma-informed and strengths-based practice. It sets out a shared vision; a series of guiding principles and practical commitments to help organisations become more companion animal inclusive. It encourages collaboration across housing, health, local authorities, homelessness services, animal welfare organisations and community partners to create systems that value relationships, promote dignity and recognise the relationship between a person and their pet as a strength.