Tell Lawmakers: Safety Should Include Our Pets

Increases Access to Pet-Friendly Emergency Shelters

ASPCA Position: Support

Update — March 23, 2026: New York had an opportunity to protect survivors and their pets by including $5 million in the 2027 State Budget for a pilot program that enables families to seek emergency shelter with their pets. Unfortunately, the new budget did not allocate any funding for this program. Thank you for each action you took to advocate for survivors and their pets.

Because most of New York’s shelters are currently not pet-friendly, too many people in crisis are forced to choose between their safety and their beloved pets who provide essential comfort, love and stability. For many New Yorkers, pets are more than companions — they are lifelines. In moments of crisis, like domestic violence or the loss of housing, giving up a beloved pet can feel more devastating than remaining in a dangerous or unstable situation. For that reason, many people choose to stay, and staying can have life-or-death consequences for them and their pets. Funding a co-housing program would help modernize New York’s shelter system and save lives.

A Proven, Lifesaving Solution: Co-Housing

Co-housing or co-sheltering programs allow people and pets to stay together in emergency housing. These programs can provide safety nets for our community’s most vulnerable populations, and they can save lives. Nearly three-quarters of women in domestic violence shelters report their abuser threatened to harm or kill their pets, so it is unsurprising that 50% of survivors say they would not enter a shelter if they couldn’t bring their pet.

Co-housing can be implemented cost-effectively by retrofitting existing domestic violence and homeless shelters with low-cost fixtures, designated pet spaces or, when possible, shared rooms so pets can live with their people.

California and other states have already demonstrated that this model works. Through the California Pet Assistance and Support Program, the Golden State has awarded $16 million to 243 housing sites, funding on-site pet accommodations, food and supplies, veterinary services and crucial staffing and liability coverage. New York can and should follow suit!

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Advocacy Alert

Your Message

Subject Include $5M for Pet-Friendly Emergency Housing in FY '27 Budget

Dear Lawmaker,

Message

As a New Yorker, I am writing to urge you to support the inclusion of $5 million in the FY 2027 New York State Budget, as championed by Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal and Senator Monica Martinez. This funding would establish a co-housing pilot program that allows people experiencing homelessness or domestic violence to safely access emergency housing without being forced to give up their pets.

For many survivors and individuals in crisis, pets provide essential emotional support and a sense of security during traumatic circumstances. Research shows that a significant number of domestic violence survivors delay or forgo shelter because they cannot bring their pets with them, leaving people trapped in unsafe or unstable situations.

Unfortunately, most emergency and safety-net housing in New York does not accommodate pets, creating a serious barrier to accessing help, particularly in New York City. Co-housing programs are a proven, cost-effective solution that allow shelters to safely accommodate pets while preserving the human-animal bond.

Other states have already demonstrated the success of this approach. California’s state-funded co-housing program has helped hundreds of housing sites safely keep people and their pets together while improving access to emergency shelter and support services. New York has the opportunity to build on these proven models and address a critical gap in our housing system.

Including $5 million for a co-housing pilot program in the FY 2027 Budget would help save lives, remove barriers to shelter access and ensure New Yorkers are not forced to choose between their safety and their beloved pet.

Once again, I ask that you please support the inclusion of funding for this critical program to help New York’s most vulnerable populations stay together with their pets.

Thank you for your time and consideration of my views.

Sincerely,

[First Name] [Last Name]
[Your Address]

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