The Problem

Housing insecurity is one of the leading drivers of companion animal surrender in New York. When affordable units come with blanket "no pets" policies, breed and size restrictions, or pet fees and deposits that low-income tenants cannot afford, families are forced into an impossible choice: give up their home, or give up a member of their family.

This burden does not fall evenly. It lands hardest on:

• Seniors on fixed incomes, for whom a companion animal may be their primary source of companionship and daily structure.
• Domestic violence survivors, who frequently delay leaving unsafe situations rather than abandon a pet, and who need pet-inclusive shelter and housing options to escape safely.
• People with disabilities, who rely on service and support animals.
• Low-income families and individuals, who are disproportionately steered toward the most restrictive segment of the housing market.

Every animal surrendered to a shelter because of a housing policy is a preventable outcome — not an inevitable one. Housing policy is animal protection policy.

What We're Asking For

We call on decision-makers to:

1. Prohibit blanket pet bans in affordable and subsidized housing developments receiving public funding or tax incentives.
2. Cap or eliminate discriminatory pet fees and deposits that price out low-income tenants.
3. End breed- and size-based restrictions not grounded in documented safety evidence.
4. Require reasonable accommodation language for service and support animals to be clearly disclosed and enforced.
5. Fund pet-inclusive emergency and transitional housing, particularly for domestic violence survivors and people experiencing homelessness.
6. Track and report pet-related housing denials and surrenders so policymakers can measure progress.

Why This Matters

Housing justice and animal protection are not separate causes — they intersect directly in the lives of the people and animals most affected by both crises. Keeping families together, including the animals who are part of those families, is both a matter of housing equity and a matter of preventing avoidable harm to companion animals.