Kathy Barco parked her silver Nissan Altima in the lot of the Super Saver Laundromat on New Britain Avenue in West Hartford on an October afternoon, so she could go inside to do her laundry.
Later in the evening, Barco planned to drive to a nearby Walmart and park in the lot to get some sleep.
Barco, a Hartford native, is one of the more than 3,700 unhoused people in Connecticut. She currently lives in her car with her adult son, Michael, and dog Phoebe.
Phoebe, who is a 10-year-old Chihuahua-Shih Tzu-Beagle mix, wore a pink harness and a black leash as she led Barco to the back of the laundromat on an afternoon walk. She maps out her own path, often causing her leash to get tangled around people’s legs.
“Phoebe,” Barco yelled, drawing the leash closer to her. “Are you stuck? No? You’re not stuck.”
Barco previously rented a house in Hartford, but she was forced to move out after it was purchased by an out-of-state landlord who raised the rent. Barco, who lived in the house for four years, was unable to pay the rent and was evicted.
Barco, Michael and Phoebe have been living out of their car for 13 months.
Options for unhoused with pets
Barco is a nursing assistant with Trinity Health, and has steady employment and no prior evictions. But, few landlords accept pets and even fewer homeless shelters take in unhoused people with pets.
Phoebe provides comfort for Barco, but she’s also one of the main reasons Barco is unable to secure a shelter bed or an apartment.
“She actually keeps me grounded, believe it or not,” Barco said. “When I'm stressed, she knows I'm stressed, and she comes and she just lays on my lap and it's okay, for the moment.”
Barco recently splurged and spent $500 a week for two weeks at a Motel 6 on the Silas Deane Highway in Wethersfield. Sleeping in her car each night isn’t comfortable and it causes her feet and ankles to swell.
“The only one that gets a good night’s sleep is her,” Barco said, gesturing to Phoebe in the backseat.
Barco, Michael and Phoebe make up one of about 50 families in the Greater Hartford area who are unhoused with pets, according to Kassandra Agosto, an outreach coordinator with Journey Home, a Hartford area nonprofit working to end homelessness.
Few shelters accept animals and those decisions are made on a case-by-case basis, Agosto said.
“Most of our providers reach out via email, call us. They're like, ‘I have a situation. What can we do?’” Agosto said.
When an unhoused resident with a pet calls for housing assistance, the first step is to make sure the animal’s vaccinations are up to date, Agosto said.
“It really is the vaccination piece first and also meeting the basic needs. So do you need food?” Agosto said.
The rise in surrenders
The number of animals being surrendered to the Connecticut Humane Society due to housing instability is on the rise, according to Connecticut Humane Society Executive Director James Bias.
In 2020, 970 animals across the state were surrendered to the Connecticut Humane Society (CHS) over housing concerns. Those concerns ranged from foreclosure, to sleeping outdoors or in cars. Last year about 1,200 animals were surrendered to CHS.
Services for unhoused families with pets are almost nonexistent. CHS offers a program where pets can be taken in temporarily by foster families, while their owner secures housing. However, programs like that aren’t common, according to Bias.
“It's usually not part of the corporate DNA of a human housing entity,” Bias said. “It's usually going to be a staffer who is pet sensitive, or they've had a number of clients who have said, you know, ‘I'd like to stay here, but I don't want to give up my pet.’ And so it usually is something organically that happens, as opposed to being a best practice.”
Allergies, space and behavioral concerns are among the reasons why many shelters don’t accept pets. But, shelters accepting animals hasn’t ever been standard practice and Bias said it can be hard to change systems of care.
“It's a missed opportunity, and I don't think it's because they don't care about pets and they don't care about people. But, let's face it, funding is an issue,” Bias said.
Pet friendly shelter options
In Connecticut, South Park Inn, in downtown Hartford is the only long-term homeless shelter that welcomes residents and their pets. South Park Inn can house two pets at a time, but they must be owned by women, as the shelter floors are separated by gender.
According to the Fire Marshal, there is no room to house pets on the second floor where men reside, because the space is smaller.
Beth-El Center, in Milford, also allows animals during cold winter nights at its seasonal no freeze shelter. But, the service is only offered in cold months and it acts as an emergency shelter rather than a year-round service.
Other shelters would like to be able to house pets as well, but it can be difficult to start such a program, according to South Park Inn’s Director of Development and Community Relations Brianna Dunlap.
“The reality is that funding is being cut left and right,” Dunlap said. “Our case managers, our program managers, everyone is overworked. Our system is overburdened. And so while, yes, I can encourage other shelters to do that, it's a bandwidth issue.”
Taking in animals is the right thing to do if providers want to care for homeless residents, Dunlap said.
“There are, we know, many people outside right now that will not come into the shelter because they will not abandon their pets,” Dunlap said.
For Kathy Barco, who lives out of her car, parting with her dog, Phoebe, isn’t an option.
“No, she's not going anywhere, because she won't be okay, and I know I won't be okay. So, it's like she's staying with me,” Barco said.
Sleeping in her car and keeping Phoebe by her side is more important than securing a shelter bed, Barco said. Still, Barco urges landlords unwilling to accept animals to reconsider, keeping families together.
“Give people a break,” Barco said. “Just work with us. I'm willing to work with a landlord, with my dog. My dog doesn't destroy anything. I take her out. Just give me the opportunity to show you.”
