NYSBA Program Focuses on How To Keep People and Pets Together in a Housing Crisis
7.2.2025
Keeping people and pets together during a housing crisis is essential for preserving family bonds and reducing trauma. Yet less than 25% of domestic violence shelters accept pets, and homeless shelters follow the same rule.
On July 10, the New York State Bar Association’s Committee on Animals in the Law is hosting a continuing education course on Supporting Vulnerable People and Pets During Housing Crises: Policy and Practice Solutions. The 90-minute session will explore the benefits of keeping people and their pets together. The class will also highlight the best ways to allow pets in temporary housing and detail proposed legislation. Those who attend will earn 1.5 MCLE credits.
The panelists, Megan Senatori from the Center for Animal Law Studies at Lewis & Clark Law School, Lina Cohen from Urban Resource Institute’s PALS for All initiative, and Christine Kim from My Dog Is My Home will discuss the legal and practical frameworks that can keep people and their furry companions together.
In 2013, the Urban Resource Institute started PALS ,which allows domestic violence survivors and their pets to live and heal together. It started with one pilot project in the Bronx and has since expanded to 11 shelters across New York City. According to the Urban Resource Institute:
- 50% of domestic violence survivors would not consider going to a shelter if they could not take their pets.
- 91% of survivors indicated that their pets’ emotional support and physical protection are critical to their ability to survive and heal.
- Less than 10% of domestic violence shelters provide accommodation for survivors’ pets
“We know that people who are in crisis and need to leave a dangerous situation don’t want to leave their pets behind,” says PALS Director Danielle Emery. “We knew there was a need for these programs to welcome people into shelter with their pets to keep the family together during that crisis.”
My Dog is My Home is based in Ridgewood, Queens, and works with shelters across the country to open their doors to companion animals. A client named Myra explains how the organization helped her, and her dog Prince leave life on the street.
“I am very grateful to God that I was able to come off the street. I did it for me and for Prince. He deserves a home as well,” she said.
Senatori of the Center for Animal Law Studies at Lewis & Clark Law School has studied the link between animal cruelty and domestic violence. In 2001, she co-founded Sheltering Animals of Abuse Victims, a nonprofit that recognizes animals as vital family members and arranges for their safe harbor. She continues to serve as president of the organization in addition to her work at the law school.
The mission of the New York State Bar Association Committee on Animals and the Law is to be a resource for members and the public about animal-related legal matters.
