
A Renewed Conversation about Pets and Housing Policy
A Renewed Conversation about Pets and Housing Policy Expanding outside the very narrow topic of breed, weight, and size restrictions By: Lauren Loney In a span
A three percent increase in adoptions among people of color would give 2 MILLION pets a loving home.
97% of Animal Welfare holds an implicit bias against individuals from low socioeconomic status, and over 65% hold implicit bias toward Latin X and African Americans.
The work we do at CARE, Human and Animal Well-Being, addresses the bias within Animal Welfare in service to the field and marginalized people and their pets.
HUMAN AND ANIMAL WELL-BEING [HAW] is a unique method of community support and advocacy that centers the well-being of people, in contrast to Animal Welfare’s traditional animal only focus. Few organizations work in the same way as CARE. As illustrated below, we start with building trust with community leaders before attempting to implement programming.
Our work beings with establishing trusting relationships within marginalized and underserved communities
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We ask those closest to community challenges for their insights by way of Community Participatory Research [CPR]
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Insights gains from CPR studies guide CARE’s program design and resource distribution in partnership with community partners
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Community Animal CARE is shelter intervention program that support families with pets and Proximate Leaders
Everything we learn from our community partners and research is housed and shared within The Circle of Learning and Leadership
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Marginalized communities and People of Color suffer from negative stereotypes, our Narratives tell truer and beautiful story
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Hunter had no one — until he found Sheryline.
She wasn’t Hunter`s pet parent, but when he showed up in her Ponemah, MN neighborhood with a broken leg and visible bone, she couldn’t walk away.
So Sheryline called for guidance, got a legal surrender, and committed to giving him a home — if she could get through the $1,500 cost of treatment.
That’s where Direct CARE came in.
We provided financial support for his surgery at Cornerstone Veterinary Clinic — so Hunter could heal and stay with the person who fought for him when no one else would.
Donate to Direct CARE today so your neighborhood dogs in need can move forward:
🔗 careawo.org/directcare
#DirectCARE
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⚖ On June 24th, a federal judge ruled that Los Angeles officials have not met their obligations to provide adequate shelter and housing for the homeless. Judge David O. Carter criticized the city`s accountability and ordered stricter oversight with quarterly hearings, but he declined to appoint a receiver to manage homelessness funding, considering it a last resort.
“When the system fails, people die,” Carter wrote. “Nearly seven unhoused community members die each day in the County of Los Angeles. These deaths are preventable and represent a moral failure by all of us.” The ruling stems from a lawsuit filed by the L.A. Alliance for Human Rights, a group of downtown business and property owners.
🏙️ The judge found that the city breached its agreement in multiple ways, including failing to provide a clear plan for creating 12,915 shelter beds by 2027, missing deadlines, and submitting inaccurate data on encampment reductions. Carter criticized the lack of transparency, stating, “Their lived reality does not match the headlines,” and claimed that seeking accountability from Los Angeles is “like chasing the wind.”
In response, the City Attorney’s Office asserted that in the past three years, Los Angeles has successfully housed thousands of Angelenos and built many new housing units, resulting in a decrease in homelessness for the first time in years. They also mentioned a recent Supreme Court ruling in the Grants Pass case, emphasizing the need for cities to have flexibility in addressing homelessness.
📅 Matthew Umhofer, an attorney for the L.A. Alliance, called the ruling a victory, urging the city to comply with the agreement rather than resist oversight. The first quarterly compliance hearing is set for November 12.
Carter emphasized the human cost of delays, stating, “The court wants the city to succeed. When the system fails, people die; when it works — even slowly — lives are saved.”
#CAREequity #CARENews
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Some dogs follow the rules.
But some dogs make the rules 😎
This pet parent shares what it’s like having that dog — the one who does whatever he wants — in a city like DC where there are plenty of pet shops and services, but also high prices.
#CAREequity #BarkAboutIt #WashingtonDC
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This dog deserves care — and so does the person holding him.
VetREDI helps veterinarians, techs, and non-profit staff offer care that’s not just skilled — but culturally competent, compassionate, and human. A better education for our vets will always lead to healthier outcomes for the animals in our community.
Now through July 31, get VetREDI for just $80.19 (reg. $99) with code: JuneteenthVetREDI25.
🎓 3-year certification
💡 Self-paced & story-driven
❤️ All proceeds support people & pets
🧠 Learn more: haw.academy
#CAREequity #VetREDI #HAWAcademy
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🤝🏼 Affinity Bias is the unconscious tendency to favor people who share similar traits, interests, or backgrounds as ourselves.
“They remind me of me” is a commonly said phrase that highlights this exact problem.
⚠ But affinity bias isn`t always loud or intentional. Sometimes it`s discreet:
– Choosing an adopter because “they remind me of the family I grew up in”
– Trusting a client more because they attended your alma mater
– Preferring a job applicant who loves the same hobbies as you
This bias can sometimes feel like comfort — but often leads to exclusion. And in spaces like shelters, clinics, and hiring committees, affinity bias can shape who gets access, who gets help, and who gets heard.
#CAREequity #AffinityBias
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A Renewed Conversation about Pets and Housing Policy Expanding outside the very narrow topic of breed, weight, and size restrictions By: Lauren Loney In a span
Do the Right Thing: Embrace differences in adoption programs By: Brad Shear, CEO, Potter League for Animals 30 years ago, I started working at the front
Hidden Housing Discrimination: My Experience as a Black Queer Woman with a Pit Bull Service Animal By: Dr. Megan Covington Note: This blog post is intended