Hamill, Emma2026-07-062026-07-062025-06-04Hamill, E. (2026) Keeping people and pets together: Community animal services for vulnerable guardians in Victoria, BC, Governance Hub Policy Briefs, No. 5, pgs. 1-7.https://hdl.handle.net/1828/24039Pet guardianship provides critical mental health, social, and emotional benefits for people experiencing poverty and homelessness: reducing suicidal ideation, supporting recovery from addiction, and fostering a sense of purpose and identity. Victoria’s existing animal welfare services are fragmented, under-resourced, and largely inaccessible to those most in need, with service users relying primarily on word of mouth rather than digital channels to learn about supports. Structural barriers—particularly veterinary costs, lack of pet-friendly housing and sheltering, and information gaps—drive unnecessary animal surrenders and compound the hardship faced by vulnerable guardians. Cross-sector collaboration between animal welfare organizations, social service providers, and local government is essential; formal partnerships remain rare despite widespread interest from service providers. Practical, low-barrier tools such as the Victoria Pet Survival Guide, combined with expanded low-cost veterinary services, mobile outreach, and pet-friendly policies, can keep people and their animals together while reducing pressure on sheltering systems.enAttribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 Internationalanimal servicesSPCAOtherSchool of Public Administration