Uploaded December 2024 | Updated September 2026, 4 days ago
Housing insecurity for tenants has increased in severity in the last several years as rents have skyrocketed and eviction rates have, in many cities, climbed higher than even pre-pandemic levels, according to a 2024 Harvard study. Today, more renters than ever are experiencing at least moderate rent burden as unaffordability in the rental market hit an all-time high in 2022. Housing insecurity directly impacts peoples' ability to acquire and keep pets for life. There is a small, but growing body of research to better understand the impact of rental housing conditions on pets, pet owners, and animal shelters in the U.S. and how this issue relates to broader affordable housing and tenants' rights social justice advocacy.
This presentation shares the results of three research projects, co-authored by our guest speaker Dr. Lauren Loney, a licensed attorney, researcher, and advocate crafting policies and lobbying on a variety of issues at local, state, and federal levels. Her talk addresses the impact of restrictive pet policies in rental housing on pets, animal shelters, and the tenants who love them. Join us to learn about trends in pet relinquishment due to housing issues and several programmatic tools that may be most useful to mitigate the flow of these pets into animal shelters.
Key take-aways:
• The audience will understand how animal welfare and pet policy issues intersect with traditional affordable housing and tenants' rights issues, particularly for low-income families.
• The audience will understand the difference between "pet-friendly" and "pet-inclusive" housing and why our affordable housing crisis, in general, means that policy advocacy for pet-inclusive housing include pushing back against the use of nonrefundable pet fees and rents.
• The audience will learn about trends in pet relinquishment due to housing issues and several programmatic tools that may be most useful to mitigate the flow of these pets into animal shelters.
Studies referenced in this webcast:
Pet Rent Texas Study (2021): frontiersin.org/journals/veterinary-science/articles/10.3389/fvets.2021.767149/full
HASS Relinquishment Data Study: frontiersin.org/journals/veterinary-science/articles/10.3389/fvets.2024.1430388/full
Houston tenants study: frontiersin.org/journals/veterinary-science/articles/10.3389/fvets.2024.1465682/full
Housing insecurity for tenants has increased in severity in the last several years as rents have skyrocketed and eviction rates have, in many cities, climbed higher than even pre-pandemic levels, according to a 2024 Harvard study. Today, more renters than ever are experiencing at least moderate rent burden as unaffordability in the rental market hit an all-time high in 2022. Housing insecurity directly impacts peoples' ability to acquire and keep pets for life. There is a small, but growing body of research to better understand the impact of rental housing conditions on pets, pet owners, and animal shelters in the U.S. and how this issue relates to broader affordable housing and tenants' rights social justice advocacy.
This presentation shares the results of three research projects, co-authored by our guest speaker Dr. Lauren Loney, a licensed attorney, researcher, and advocate crafting policies and lobbying on a variety of issues at local, state, and federal levels. Her talk addresses the impact of restrictive pet policies in rental housing on pets, animal shelters, and the tenants who love them. Join us to learn about trends in pet relinquishment due to housing issues and several programmatic tools that may be most useful to mitigate the flow of these pets into animal shelters.
Key take-aways:
• The audience will understand how animal welfare and pet policy issues intersect with traditional affordable housing and tenants' rights issues, particularly for low-income families.
• The audience will understand the difference between "pet-friendly" and "pet-inclusive" housing and why our affordable housing crisis, in general, means that policy advocacy for pet-inclusive housing include pushing back against the use of nonrefundable pet fees and rents.
• The audience will learn about trends in pet relinquishment due to housing issues and several programmatic tools that may be most useful to mitigate the flow of these pets into animal shelters.
Studies referenced in this webcast:
Pet Rent Texas Study (2021): frontiersin.org/journals/veterinary-science/articles/10.3389/fvets.2021.767149/full
HASS Relinquishment Data Study: frontiersin.org/journals/veterinary-science/articles/10.3389/fvets.2024.1430388/full
Houston tenants study: frontiersin.org/journals/veterinary-science/articles/10.3389/fvets.2024.1465682/full
