Except for calling me Cecelia… which is NOT my name, this is a good article about Feeding Pets of the Homeless, a great organization… in the video, Dr. Becker says my name correctly at the beginning and then wrong at the end. Why do people do that???
It also would have been nice if they talked about the fact that in the USA, 50% or more of the people without homes are seniors 50-80+ years old.
For me, I found out about this organization after I moved away from Carson City, Nevada (where their home office is). And became a donor of dog and cat food for a few years. I would ask companies like Whole Foods to donate and then I would have the food distributed through a local church. They gave the food to the people who came to their food bank.
Then in 2014, after I moved out of the house I was living in with my dog Cici, we spent a few years without a home because NONE of the local organizations provided anything but food for me. And I was in my 60’s and had only my $650 a month from Social Security to live on, not enough to survive. Mostly, we slept in my car and/or motels when I could do so.
I co-wrote this article for Vox Media in 2016.
Donna and Tim from BadRap helped me and my dog after I had breast cancer surgery. From 2016-18, I had a great job for Liberty Asia/Freedom Collaborative and still had a tough time finding a home for us. And when the nonprofit I was working for lost a big donor, the CEO had to let a lot of people go including myself.
Genevieve from Feeding Pets of the Homeless helped Cici and I out a couple of times with vet care.
Once again, without enough income and no home, my dog Cici and I slept in the van and/or motels (or for me, in the hospital) until September 12, 2019 when I had to say good-bye to Cici. She also had heart failure and an aggressive cancer at the age of 13.
I spent most of November and December 2019 in the hospital. Thankfully, at the end of December, I was able to move into the senior apartment where I am still living, thanks to a couple of wonderful social workers.
And this week, I found out that a friend (75 years old) who had been sleeping in her car in a fake safe parking lot, then put into a dirty bed bug motel last year with one of her dogs (the SPCA took her other dog away from here, amputated his leg and had him adopted against her will) is NOW living upstairs from me in the senior apartment. She just moved in a couple of weeks ago. I had not heard from her in a long time and am glad that she and her dog Bella now have a home, too.
For me living here has been a lifesaver. And I still miss Cici, although she has barked at me from the other side and let me know that she is still around me. And last week, she visited me in a dream in a way that she has never done before. She and I cuddled in the dream and I took her for a walk. It was really comforting.
About Cici a Memorial
Furry Best Friends
In Canada with the Freedom Convoy of Truckers
Taking Care of Pets of the Homeless
Today my guest is Genevieve Frederick, the founder and president of a wonderful 501c3 organization called Feeding Pets of the Homeless.
Genevieve was nominated for a Game Changer award by Celia Sue H. Feeding Pets of the Homeless is the first, and one of just a handful of organizations in the U.S. whose mission is to secure pet food and emergency veterinary care for the animal companions of the homeless in this country and into Canada as well.
Below are some highlights from our discussion, but I encourage you to watch the video linked above for much more information.
An Invisible Entity
Genevieve's journey toward founding her nonprofit began during a trip to New York City. She came upon a homeless man with a dog lying beside him. The dog wasn't wearing a collar or leash, but he didn't leave the man's side.
"I'd seen homeless people before, but like so many Americans, I'd just kind of put blinders on," Genevieve explains. "They've become an invisible entity; a part of society people ignore. They're very isolated. What struck me was the dog, and so when I came back to my hometown, I started doing a little investigating.
I called several national coalitions that work with the homeless. I asked them how many homeless are out there with animals, and their response was something like 5% to 10%. Nobody really knew. And we still don't really have any hard statistics on that."
Genevieve kept thinking about the man in NYC and wondered how he was able to feed his dog when he could barely care for himself.
"I had kind of an aha moment when I realized I could help feed these animals. I could get businesses to agree to be pet food donation sites, and then take those donations to a local soup bank or food bank and the food could be distributed from there.
The people making donations wouldn't go to the food bank directly, but instead would drop them off at a grooming shop, a veterinary hospital, or some other type of business. I started the program in 2008. It evolved and we keep adding programs with the support of our donors. We couldn't do it without them.
Since 2008, we've spent over $2 million on veterinary care. The vet bills are paid directly to the hospitals at time of service. Right now, we have over a thousand hospitals across the country we're working with, and we're adding new ones every day.
A large network of clinics is important, because when a homeless person calls us and they don't have transportation, we need to be able to refer them to a hospital within walking distance or at least close enough that the caller and their pet can get a ride from a friend."
How the Process Works
The process of getting help to pets of the homeless is relatively straightforward. Let's say you happen upon a homeless person with an animal companion. You can let him (or her) know there's help available by dialing 775-841-7463, or if they have access to a smart phone or PC, at the Pets of the Homeless website.
When the person calls, he'll talk to a case manager who will need to verify his homeless status through a shelter, food bank, soup kitchen, police officer, social worker, or some other entity. Once that's done, if the pet needs veterinary care, the case manager will identify a hospital and pre-approve a vet exam, at which point the pet owner can call the hospital to set up an appointment.
"Our donation sites have taken in nearly 800 tons of pet food and supplies," says Genevieve. "The pet food goes to low-income pet owners as well as the homeless. If you go to a food bank to get your own food or food for your family, always ask if they have cat food, dog food, cat litter, or whatever your needs are."
Genevieve explains that often when they get calls from a homeless pet parent, the person feels terrible guilt about not having the resources to help their best friend. Pets provide the homeless with companionship, protection, warmth, and unconditional love.
"It's a pleasure for me every day to come to work and help these people and their animals," says Genevieve.
Many Homeless Sacrifice Everything to Keep Their Pets
Genevieve says her entire staff is as passionate as she is about helping the homeless and their pets.
"If there's one thing I could tell the world, it's to please not prejudge homeless people," she says.
"You don't know how they got there. There are hundreds of reasons that create homelessness, and once they're in that situation, it's difficult to get out. It's a struggle every single day. And when they have a pet, the struggle is even greater because a lot of homeless shelters don't allow pets. A lot of hotels and motels don't, either. A lot of our clients live in their vehicles. Many live in tents, and some live on the street."
Genevieve and her staff are getting an increase in calls from desperate pet owners about to be evicted from their homes. Many have no transportation, nowhere to go, and no idea what to do.
The advice offered to these callers is to contact the Salvation Army, Catholic Charities, or another similar organization in their immediate community. Now that the eviction moratorium has been lifted, estimates are that there will eventually be three to four million people without homes.
As we all know, pets are abandoned every day in this country, yet there are people living on the streets who've made a commitment to their animal that no matter what happens, they won't give them up. It's so important for those of us who love and advocate for animals to support these people who are making an incredible sacrifice for their dog or cat.
"There are many ways volunteers can help us," says Genevieve. "For example, they can do peer-to-peer fundraising. They can get the word out to friends that, 'Hey, I just donated $10 to Feeding Pets of the Homeless, will you match my $10?' We don't take any government funding, all of our money comes from individuals, companies and private foundations.
So, we're very thankful and grateful for all the people who've opened up their hearts and feel that what we do is important, and they want to support us. And we love hearing from them and talking to our supporters, as well as anybody that needs our help."
If you like to learn more about Feeding the Pets of the Homeless, you can visit the website linked above, as well as their Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram page.
Homelessness in Germany - What if you can’t afford a home?
| DW Documentary
Rising since 2008
Taking Care of Pets
God bless you, CeliaSue. 🙏