Paws Between Homes

Atlanta has one of the highest eviction rates in the United States. Evictions affect not only humans — they also lead to the surrender of hundreds of family pets to area animal shelters each year. And while housing instability is often a temporary circumstance for the humans it affects, the surrender of a family pet to a shelter is permanent. Paws Between Homes believes that, when people get back on their feet in new housing, they should be able to do so as a complete family with no member left behind. That’s why we provide temporary foster homes, supplies, and veterinary care to the pets of people who are getting evicted or otherwise losing their housing. We serve low-income households in metro Atlanta. Paws Between Homes (PBH) strives for an Atlanta where people and their beloved pets can weather eviction and other temporary crises without suffering permanent separation as a result. Atlanta has historically had sky-high eviction rates, and COVID-19 has brought housing insecurity to new heights. Too often, tenants forced out of their homes must permanently surrender their cherished pets to the shelter. PBH, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit rescue, seeks to mitigate the harms of eviction by ensuring that people can reunite with their pets when their circumstances permit. PBH provides foster homes for up to 90 days to the pets of people who are getting evicted or otherwise losing their housing. While the pets are in our custody, we provide them with food, supplies, and veterinary care. When their owners get back on their feet in new housing, we pay for any pet deposit that the new landlord charges. PBH believes that people and pets belong together, and that the crisis of eviction should not involve the added trauma of pet loss.