Some families experiencing homelessness in the city will no longer have to choose between seeking shelter and keeping their beloved pet, thanks to a pilot program announced Thursday, May 2, by the nonprofit Urban Resource Institute.
The group, in partnership with the city’s Department of Homeless Services, operates the Uplift Families Residence in the Castle Hill neighborhood, which has set aside five apartment-style units for a pilot of the People and Animals Living Safely (PALS) program. The organization is hoping to expand to more units in the future.
While Urban Resource Institute (URI) has operated the PALS program in domestic violence shelters since 2013, this pilot marks the first time that New York City families experiencing homelessness can bring their pet to a shelter. Currently, pets are not allowed at any other homeless shelter in the city.
“This is groundbreaking. It’s a groundbreaking initiative,” said CEO Nathaniel Fields, who said that the concept of keeping pets and families together was a rare easy sell to government entities. “I have not seen such enthusiasm from government,” he said.
That’s probably because many people from all walks of life — no matter how rich or poor — consider their pet part of the family and cannot imagine life without them, no matter how difficult their circumstances.
One of those animal lovers is Council Member and Majority Leader Amanda Farías, for whom the usual binary of dog person vs. cat person only scratches the surface.
“I raise the roof for all pets,” she said — cats, dogs, guinea pigs or otherwise.
Farías described the Bronx as “plagued” by domestic violence, as the borough has the city’s highest number of cases and deaths, especially among women of color. For people looking to move on from trauma, their pets can provide constant companionship and unconditional love.
“Healing does not happen alone,” Farías said.
URI is already the country’s largest…
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