'As a frontline homelessness worker, I know that pets can be just as vulnerable as their owners'

This month, Big Issue highlighted something many people working in homelessness services see every day: the extraordinary bond that can exist between people and their pets. 

For many people experiencing homelessness, a dog or cat is far more than a companion. They provide routine, comfort and unconditional affection during periods of profound instability. They offer connection in lives often shaped by isolation, trauma and loss. 

Working in supported housing, I have seen this bond firsthand. I have seen residents speak to their animals with a gentleness they rarely show themselves. I have seen dogs become the reason someone gets out of bed in the morning. I have seen people structure entire days around feeding, walking and caring for an animal. And I completely understand why many people refuse accommodation if it means giving up a pet. 

For some, that animal is not simply a pet. It is family. Yet there is another side of the conversation that is discussed far less often. Not because it is unimportant. But because it is complicated. Because alongside vulnerable people, there are often vulnerable animals too. And from a frontline perspective, that reality can create difficult questions without easy answers. 

People enter supported housing carrying different histories, different strengths and different challenges. Some are rebuilding after relationship breakdowns. Others are managing severe mental health difficulties or addiction. Others are living with trauma. Many are trying to rebuild stability while struggling to care for themselves.  

And this is where the conversation around pets becomes more complicated. Because love and care are not always the same thing. That may sound harsh but anyone who has worked in frontline services long enough understands the distinction. 

I have met residents who deeply loved their animals. I have absolutely no doubt about that. But I have also seen situations where those same animals were left alone in hot rooms for long periods. I have seen staff become concerned about whether pets had been fed or watered. I have seen animals displaying signs of distress inside environments that were already chaotic and unpredictable. And I have seen support workers placed in positions where concern for a resident existed alongside concern for their pet. 

Read more:

• ‘Their dogs are a reason for living’: A new film tells the story of homeless people and their pets
• No one should face homelessness alone: How Dogs Trust keeps homeless people and their dogs together
• ‘It’s their family’: How homeless people with dogs got through the pandemic

Those situations are difficult because there is no obvious villain. Nobody is deliberately setting out to neglect an animal. Perhaps one of the reasons this conversation is so challenging is because society likes simple stories. We prefer clear heroes and villains, clear right and wrong answers. But frontline work rarely provides those. 

Instead, it presents situations where multiple truths can exist simultaneously. A resident can genuinely love their dog. That same dog can still experience neglect. A pet can provide stability. That same pet can create welfare concerns. Staff can recognise the importance of companionship. Those same staff can understand why restrictions sometimes exist.  

Unlike independent accommodation, supported housing often involves communal living. There may be people with allergies, phobias or previous traumatic experiences involving animals. There are considerations around hygiene, noise and safety. There are practical concerns about who becomes responsible when a resident disappears for days or is admitted to hospital unexpectedly. 

And there are moments when support workers find themselves undertaking responsibilities that were never part of their role. Walking dogs. Contacting emergency vets. Managing disputes between residents. These situations are part of the reality many frontline staff navigate. 

This is not an argument against pets. Far from it. Some of the most positive transformations I have witnessed have involved residents finding purpose through caring for an animal. Pets can provide routine where none previously existed, responsibility where motivation had disappeared, companionship where loneliness had become overwhelming. But neither should we ignore the welfare of the animals themselves.  

Perhaps that is the challenge. How do we support people to maintain important relationships with their animals while also ensuring those animals are safe, healthy and properly cared for? How do we acknowledge the emotional importance of pets without pretending every situation is straightforward? 

I do not have the answer. What I do know is that this conversation deserves nuance. The easiest thing in the world would be to take a side. To argue that pets should always be allowed or that they should never be allowed. But frontline experience teaches you that life rarely fits neatly into absolutes. Instead, it teaches you to sit with uncomfortable realities. 

There may be no perfect answer. But there is value in asking the question. 

Mark Handford is a project worker at YMCA Brighton 

Do you have a story to tell or opinions to share about this? Get in touch and tell us more. 

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