Pets Are Family—And Housing Should Reflect That
From the desk of Janet Showley:
For many families, a pet is more than a companion—they’re family. Yet every day, shelters and rescues see the heartbreaking consequences when housing policies force people to choose between keeping a roof over their heads and keeping their beloved pet.
The connection between housing and animal welfare is becoming increasingly clear. According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition’s 2025 National Renter Survey, pet-related barriers continue to prevent families from accessing stable housing. Among renters who moved or considered moving in the past two years, 15% of those who nearly moved and 12.1% of those who did move reported difficulty finding housing that accepted their pet or service animal.
More than half (56.1%) of renters with pets also reported paying pet-related costs, such as non-refundable deposits or monthly pet rent. These added expenses can strain already tight budgets and may ultimately lead families to surrender a beloved pet.
While solving the housing crisis is beyond the scope of any one organization, shelters and rescues can help keep pets where they belong—with their families. Consider maintaining a list of pet-friendly housing options in your community, providing pet food or veterinary assistance to families experiencing financial hardship, offering temporary foster care during housing transitions, and partnering with local landlords to encourage more pet-inclusive rental policies. Creating pet resumes, behavior summaries, or veterinary references can also help responsible pet owners secure housing.
When we talk about housing affordability, we also need to talk about pets. Every family that finds housing where all members—including their pets—are welcome is one less family facing the heartbreak of surrender. By making pet-inclusive housing part of our conversations, partnerships, and community outreach, we can help prevent pet homelessness before it begins.
Resources:
National Low Income Housing Coalition’s 2025 National Renter Survey https://nlihc.org/national-renter-survey
Engaging housing providers with pet-inclusive policies https://www.petsandhousing.org/animal-welfare-organizations/
https://petfriendlyservices.org/info-to-save-lives/indiana-resource-directory/#PetFriendlyHousing
September Shelter/Rescue Support Group
Purdue University’s “Priority 4 Paws Program” and Pet Friendly Services of Indiana have joined together to offer monthly Shelter/Rescue Support meetings. Any employee or volunteer of an Indiana animal shelter or rescue organization is invited to attend virtually or in-person
Speaker: Dr. Hill, Purdue Priority 4 Paws Program
Topic:With kitten season bringing an influx of cats into shelters—and often an increase in illness—Dr. Hill will discuss how housing and stress can contribute to upper respiratory infections (URI), along with practical strategies to prevent URI, recognize signs of illness, and identify potential outbreaks.
Date: Wednesday,September 1, 2:00–3:30 PM (ET)
Attendance Options
In Person: (Humane Society for Greater Lafayette)
Virtual: Attend live via Zoom.
Please complete the form below to register. In-person attendance is limited to 25 participants and will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Once in-person capacity has been reached, additional registrants are welcome to attend virtually.
You're Invited to Participate!
Pet Friendly Services, the ASPCA and Tom Wood Subaru are excited to host the “Love Them for Life” Adoption Event once again on Saturday, October 3.
We’re looking for 20 groups to attend and showcase their adoptable animals! Participating groups will receive spay/neuter coupons for the animals they bring to the event (one per cat/dog, up to 3).
This event is our largest adoption event of the year AND features a free cookout! Sign up today to secure your spot!
Attention Leaders!
Pet Friendly Services of Indiana is building a new statewide Mentorship Network Directory to help strengthen Indiana’s veterinary and animal welfare community through practical, experience-based guidance.
We are currently seeking experienced professionals in:
- HQHVSN (High-Quality, High-Volume Spay/Neuter)
- Shelter Medicine Veterinarians
- Shelter & Rescue Leadership / Directors
Mentors can define their own availability and areas of support, whether that’s surgical efficiency, shelter protocols, clinic workflow, outbreak management, leadership development, or program growth. The goal is simple: make real-world expertise more accessible so more organizations can improve efficiency, expand access to care, and ultimately help more pets.
The Community Cats Grants Program from the United Spay Alliance is designed to help small organizations build their fundraising capacity to help even more cats.
Grants are targeted toward grassroots TNR groups, rescue organizations, and low-cost spay/neuter providers.
Applications for the fall/winter cycle are due by August 31.
This is a matching grant opportunity. If selected, grantees must create and implement a brand-new fundraiser. Grantees must raise $2,000 (net) to receive a matching grant of $2,000 from United Spay Alliance.
Grant Opportunities
Pet Friendly Services maintains a list of grant opportunities for animal welfare organizations.
Each grant has different requirements, deadlines, and application processes, so please review the linked websites to determine which opportunities best fit your organization’s needs.
We know times are challenging, and requests for spay/neuter assistance are higher than ever. We hope this guide helps connect you with more funding opportunities to continue your lifesaving work.
Reminder: Help us Connect Pet Owners with Spay/Neuter Resources
Looking for affordable spay/neuter services? Our new Indiana Spay/Neuter Directory makes it easier than ever for Indiana pet owners to find resources close to home. The directory includes low-cost clinics, voucher programs, transport options, mobile clinics, and other services that help make spay/neuter more accessible.
We’re continually expanding the directory and want it to be the most complete resource possible. If your organization provides spay/neuter assistance, transportation, vouchers, clinics, or other related programs, we’d love to include you. Submit your information to Rhi@PetFriendlyServices.org and help us connect even more pet owners with affordable care.
You can also make a difference by sharing the directory with your community. Every share helps connect more pet owners with affordable care and prevents unwanted litters across Indiana.
Education
Don’t Think You Can Start a Spay Neuter Program? Yes, You Can!
Thursday, August 20, 2026 from 3-5pm EST via Zoom.
Description: Spay/neuter is more critical than ever in helping reduce pet overpopulation and save lives. Join the Bissell Pet Foundatino for an engaging discussion on the challenges and opportunities involved in developing and sustaining spay/neuter programs through partnerships and collaboration. This webinar will provide valuable insights and actionable ideas to help make your spay/neuter program a success.
Where Will You Be Next?
Spring is here and events are picking up! Spread the word about your event and reach more adopters with our public event calendar – a central hub for showcasing adoption events and specials across Indiana.
Whether you’re hosting a fee-reduced event, a breed-specific adoption day, or a senior pet showcase, this calendar makes it easier for pet lovers to find and attend your events. It’s completely free, so don’t miss this opportunity to boost visibility and help more pets find loving homes. Add your events today!
Reminder: Be Social With Us! Join our Partner Facebook Group
Join us! We’ve created a Facebook Group to help connect employees and/or key representatives of animal shelters, rescues, TNVR Groups, veterinary professionals, and other members of the animal welfare community that are current partners with Pet Friendly Services of Indiana.
You’ll find meaningful conversations and receive important updates about animal welfare.
Another reason to join? Monthly contests where your group can win extra spay/neuter coupons just by sharing the Pet Friendly Plate!
Help Drive More Spay/Neuter in Your Community
We’re doing our best to market the Pet Friendly Plate far and wide – but YOU can help us reach even farther!
Every time you share the plate and its lifesaving work with someone, you’re helping Indiana’s entire animal welfare network. 100% of the funds we receive from the Pet Friendly Plate stay in Indiana communities like yours and every penny goes directly to spay/neuter.
If you have a Pet Friendly Plate, we want to see it! Take a picture of your pet with your Pet Friendly Plate and share it with us. You might be featured in an upcoming campaign to fix more pets! E-mail Rhi@PetFriendlyServices.org
Our Contact Information
Pet Friendly Services of Indiana
1100 W 42nd Street, Suite 205
Indianapolis, IN 46208
317-767-7771
http://PetFriendlyServices.org
