Tuesday April 28, 2020 ~ VICTORIA
by Mary Brooke ~ West Shore Voice News
The placement of homeless people who are being moved indoors under orders by the BC Government due to concerns for their safety during COVID-19, includes consideration for people being part of family groups.
In many cases those are not people related by blood as family, but in their circumstances have developed family-like bonds and attachments in their homeless lifestyle.
For many of those people, their on-street pet has become an important part of their family. And today Provincial Health Officer Dr Bonnie Henry says that pets can be taken along to the new indoor locations.
She called it a “very important consideration”, that “for all of us in a time of crises, that family and pets are part of that”.
“There is a provision for pets,” said Dr Henry about the homeless relocation project that was announced on Saturday April 25 by Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction Shane Simpson, the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions Judy Darcy and the Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General Mike Farnworth.
Dr Henry says the provision for pets “varies depending on the place and where they are”.
Pets are part of the family:
The Provincial Health Officer said there is “consideration for where people might be placed depending on their needs”, and that “one of the considerations of those needs is whether they have a companion pet”.
This will be good news for animal rescue groups which supply donated pet food and pet coats to people whose home — up til now in Victoria — has been the street.
How the donated supplies can be provided to people who are now leaving the street and going indoors has not yet been clarified.
West Shore Voice News has made an inquiry to BC Housing regarding whether the continued supply of pet food is included in the supports to people with pets who are being moved indoors, or whether the various animal rescue and support groups which presently collect donations for pets of low-income people will still need to (and have a way to) deliver items to low-income previously-homeless pet owners.
Groups accepting donations for pet food and supports:
Victoria Cool Aid: Financial donations can be made online, where you can specify the ‘Pets in Need’ fund, which is used for supplying medical services to pets of people who are homeless, as well as pet food supplies. They are discouraging the drop-off of pet food supplies right now, due to physical distancing during COVID-19.
SAFARS Pet Food Bank & Feral Cat Rehabilitation Center: Financial donations can be made by etransfer or by mailing a cheque. Donations of pet food can be made in Saanich, Victoria and Sooke at various locations (phone ahead to see what hours, due to the physical distancing requirements of COVID-19).