A TAUNTON-based charity is ensuring people experiencing homelessness won’t have to give up their pets if they spend time in a hostel.
Arc – formerly Taunton Association for the Homeless – has been awarded pet-friendly accreditation by national charity StreetVet.
Through training and support provided by StreetVet’s Accredited Hostel Scheme, Arc hostels can now become well-equipped to welcome pet-owning residents.
As a new partner of the scheme, Arc benefits from StreetVet’s wraparound support, which includes hostel staff training, provision of pet essentials, telemedicine triage service, pet boarding, veterinary diagnostics and surgery and pet transport plus much more.
Alice Hannon, fundraising and communications assistant at Arc, said: “We are delighted to be working alongside StreetVet to provide even more support for Arc clients who are experiencing homelessness with their pets.
“Arc is full of animal lovers, so we all understand the importance of each pet to their owner, especially during a time of crisis.
“Working alongside such a fantastic organisation as StreetVet has already helped us to build on our current pet policies and procedures, ensuring that any client who comes to us with a pet will receive the correct support so that they can focus on their journey forwards.”
StreetVet hostel co-ordinator Laura Sayer said: “We’re so pleased to be welcoming Arc to the growing list of StreetVet accredited hostels.
“Choosing between keeping a beloved pet and securing housing is a decision nobody should have to face and we hope that with more hostels such as Arc adopting pet-friendly policies, fewer will have to.”
