busting myths around homelessness and their dogs

*photo was taken in Las Vegas by Angela Tuckerman*

As you may have noticed some people who are homeless are dog owners. Prior to my working in the homeless field, my initial thoughts when I saw a visibly homeless person on the street with their dog was,

“Is that dog well taken care of? Are they fed? Do they have fleas? Should the dog be taken away from them? Are they using the dog to beg for money?”

As I worked with this population I learned that my fears were not valid. I learned that people experiencing homelessness took very good care of their dogs sometimes even better than housed people. I learned that their dogs were sometimes their sole companions. I learned that often they adopted stray dogs. I learned that their dogs were their best friends and they would often put the dog’s needs over their own.

I worked in the homeless field in Los Angeles and more notably on L.A.’s skid row from 2015-2019 in varying capacities. For two of those years I worked as a clinical social worker for housing programs. I helped house and transition over 50 people off the streets and into subsidized houses. I was also always the first clinician to write an “Emotional Support Animal” letter to ensure a person could move into housing with their dog. Most homeless individuals I met would not be separated from their dogs even if that meant passing up some type of shelter—because their dogs are their family –something every dog owner understands at the core.

How can dogs benefit people experiencing homelessness and vice versa?

We have learned through our other blog posts how dogs can be helpful for people’s mental and physical health and all of that rings true for people experiencing homelessness, but there are more specific ways dogs help and are even a lifeline for many of these individuals without homes.

1. A person’s dog can be the motivating factor to keep going and not give up by providing them with a deep sense of purpose.

2. A study found that people experiencing homelessness who have a dog are less likely to engage in risk taking behaviors such as using drugs or getting into fights.

3. It can be dangerous on the streets and a canine-human duo can provide each other protection.

4. A pup and a person experiencing homelessness may be each other’s only valuable bond. A homeless person can sometimes go for days and weeks without any type of social connection.

5. For a person who is so stigmatized by the rest of society a dog can provide unconditional love free of judgment and criticism.

Living on the streets while have a dog can also come with challenges and as a community we should support people and their pets. Some shelters are beginning to see the importance of allowing people to come in with their pets. Some non-profits such as the Underdog Community Project on L.A’s Skid Row provide free veterinary services and other supports such as pet food. Proceeds from our February sales were donated to them.

What can you do?

- Think about donating to orgs like UCP that support homeless people and their pets

- Next time you see someone with a dog on the streets acknowledge them both and realize that the dog is loved and well cared for by their human.

I feel very strongly about challenging stigma around the homeless population so I wanted to share some common misconceptions about homelessness in general as well.

1.Everyone who is homeless is addicted to drugs and became homeless because of a drug addiction.

Let’s look at some numbers. According to multiple studies the biggest reason for homelessness is due to a job loss (24%) and only about 16% become homeless because of a drug addiction. If we look at some other self reported numbers, we see that substance and alcohol abuse is more common among homeless people (34%) that the general population. The trend we see is that many people start using drugs and alcohol once they have become homeless as a way to cope with the traumas and dangers of living on the streets. I know first hand stories from all over the spectrum—people on the streets who became homeless because they were addicted (usually they were addicted because of other traumas such as abusive home environments), people started using drugs on the street to deal with the realities of homelessness, and many people on the streets had never used drugs

2. All homeless individuals have mental illness.

About 1/3 of people who are homeless have a mental illness, which is more than the general population but is not all. Many people on the streets also develop mental illness such as Post-traumatic Stress Disorder as a result of trauma experienced while homeless. Since these numbers are higher than the general population, it is important to investigate why and how our systems are not supporting people with mental illness. But again this is not the whole picture of homelessness and it is important to be aware of that.

3. People often assume homeless are violent and dangerous.

The truth is homeless people are much more likely to be victims of violence that to be perpetrators. The way this translates for me is that many people are afraid to talk to homeless people because they are afraid of them, but I have found that a simple acknowledgment such as a hello to someone who is visibly homeless can be one of the most healing experiences they have in a day.

4. People choose to be homeless because they don’t want a job.

This statement could not be further from the truth. Many homeless people are actually employed (about 40%) but they cannot afford rent. For all the homeless I worked with 99% of them wanted a job and the 1% that didn’t was usually because they had a disability that prevented them from working. The stigma of homelessness makes it incredibly difficult to find a job. For example, many employers won’t hire someone without a permanent mailing address or they are concerned about them not coming to work if they are homeless. This becomes a viscous cycle that is very difficult to get out of.

The biggest takeaway I would like readers to have from this post is that people experiencing homelessness are human too and I believe that it is scary to acknowledge that because in acknowledging it we realize that homelessness an happen to anyone. Homelessness also highlights the systems that are broken in societies from healthcare to housing markets to employment systems and society would rather “other” individuals that are victims to broken systems that fix the brokenness. I hope next time you see a visibly homeless person you will say hello and acknowledge their humanity.