Seattle Veterinary Outreach Receives $50K Grant from ASPCA to Benefit Homeless People and Their Pets
The ASPCA’s Northern Tier Shelter Initiative (NTSI) has awarded Seattle Veterinary Outreach (SVO) a $50,000 grant to support its innovative work in promoting the welfare of companion animals of people experiencing homelessness. SVO was founded in 2018 to improve the health and welfare of homeless pets by supporting owners in the Greater Seattle area who are searching for a path out of homelessness.
According to Dr. Hanna Ekstrom, Founder of SVO, people experiencing homelessness love their pets just as much as other pet owners. “Although they care for these pets well, frequently feeding them before themselves, the one thing that is typically beyond reach is access to quality veterinary care,” she says.
SVO brings its mobile clinic to high-need areas and provides both preventative and sick pet care. “This helps keep pets healthy and leaves owners with the hope and resiliency they need to move towards a better life for themselves and their pets,” says Dr. Ekstrom.
The ASPCA believes that every pet owner should have access to basic pet care.
“People who love their pets – regardless of their income or circumstances – should have the opportunity to care for them as well. Seattle Veterinary Outreach’s mobile clinic makes that care possible."
To improve the quality of life for companion animals, the ASPCA’s NTSI provides consultations, trainings and grant funding to animal welfare organizations in the states of Alaska, Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, Washington and Wisconsin. By addressing the immediate needs of the region’s vulnerable animal populations while also collecting and analyzing data, NTSI is better able to address long-term challenges facing at-risk people and their pets.