In depth: Homeless and their hounds

When Jamie found himself homeless after being made redundant, he was asked to put his dog Chucky down in order to be re-housed. There was no doubt in his mind that he would rather stay homeless than lose his beloved friend, and thanks to Dogs Trust Hope Project he didn’t have to.

Jamie found himself having to choose between housing and his dog Chucky. Thankfully Dogs Trust UK were there to help. [Photography by Dogs Trust UK]

Unfortunately many other homeless people are faced with this same decision every day, as according to Dogs Trust UK only 8% of hostels in the UK are dog friendly.

Iain, hostel manager at St Mungo’s in London who works closely with Dogs Trust, says, “Asking someone to give up their dog is making them take 10 steps backwards, but accepting them with their dog makes the recovery process quicker.”

Dogs Trust Hope Project runs a veterinary scheme in 103 UK cities and they currently work with one veterinary practice and four homeless services in Cardiff to improve homeless dogs and their owners’ quality of life.

Lynsey Alston, the Outreach Project’s Development Coordinator at Dogs Trust, says, “We provide free flea and worming treatments, vaccinations, micro-chipping and neutering and can subsidise any other treatment up to £400.”

But with only five charities in Cardiff offering pet friendly accommodation, does more need to be done to help these organisations acknowledge the benefits of accepting dogs?

Dogs and their benefits

For many homeless people their dog is their family. Clare Kivlehan, project manager at Dogs Trust Hope Project, says, “Everyone knows that the bond between dog and owner is a strong one, but for homeless people their dog can often be there best friend.”

But many people question why homeless people are allowed to own dogs. For someone who is homeless and vulnerable, owning a dog creates a sense of normalcy.

Iain, hostel manager at St. Mungo’s in London, says, “Accepting dogs helps with the recovery of all residents, not just the dog owner. Having dogs makes the hostels less institutionalised and more homely.”

The UK Mental Health Foundation, a leading charity in mental health research, claims that owning a dog can positively impact on those who are depressed, lonely and lacking social interaction.

Maria, a homeless woman who was re-housed with her pet, says, “She keeps me going when I am very depressed. I just have to look at her and she puts a smile on my face. I wouldn’t have moved in if I hadn’t been able to bring her, I would have rather stayed on the streets.”

Getting into the Christmas spirit

With the upcoming festivities, for most people Christmas is a time of family, warmth and indulgence, but for many homeless people it is a time of loneliness and isolation.

Dogs Trust Hope Project spreads festive joy with free Christmas hampers containing dog collars, leads, coat, blankets, treats and toys.

Last year the charity delivered parcels to 1040 dogs, but this year requests for parcels has increased by 12% and they expect to deliver 1180 hampers to over 140 organisations across the country.

But this is just a small dent in an overwhelming and growing issue.

Homelessness: an invisible issue

It is difficult to know just how many homeless people there are in Cardiff, let alone how many of these own dogs.

According to the latest government figures from February 2014, the estimated number of people sleeping rough in the UK on any one night is 2,414. This has risen 5% since 2012 and 37% since 2010.

In Cardiff many homeless people will find the warmest place they can to spend the night – such as these air vents outside one of the University buildings. [Photography by Amelia Jones]

But Homeless Link UK have said that research conducted by Crisis claims that 62% of single homeless people may not show up in official figures, as they move around undetected, which could mean that many more homeless and their hounds are suffering this Christmas.

Jenny Bibbings, the policy and research manager at Shelter Cymru, has said that recent trends show a decline in the number of households accepted as homeless, but applications are as high as ever, if not higher.

This can be seen in official figures, as Welsh Labour claim that in 2012 there were 15,360 households presenting themselves as homeless, with just over 1000 accepted as homeless.

Luckily for Jamie and thanks to the brilliant work of Dogs Trust Hope Project all cross the UK, he and his dog Chucky were rehoused in a dog friendly hostel.

Jamie and his dog Chucky were lucky enough to be re-homed with the help of the Dogs Trust Hope Project. [Photography by Dogs Trust UK]

Jamie says, “I think it’s important that hostels accept dogs and acknowledge how important a dog can be.

“There are people out there that don’t have much, all they have is their dog and asking them to get rid of them is like taking your heart away,” Jamie adds.