Families across the socioeconomic spectrum enjoy the human-animal bond. Eighty-eight percent consider their pet a family member. They are "bonded families." Before the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 1 out of 4 families struggled to access veterinary care, with minorities and women disproportionately affected. The pandemic has caused many more families to struggle in acquiring needed services. Not having access to veterinary care distresses families, too often leading to the pet's premature death or relinquishment, ultimately breaking up the family. Too often, animal shelters have the added burden of caring for relinquished pets and finding them a new home. These realities are costly to families, animal shelters, and communities.

Human Animal Support Services (HASS) is an initiative to transform animal shelters and animal control agencies' roles in supporting animals and people in our communities. Organizations that serve diverse communities, like most animal shelters, can be more effective if their personnel makeup reflects the communities they serve. A diverse workforce helps ensure the diversity of ideas needed to reach all communities, including communities of color, effectively. 

We must continue striving to improve access to veterinary care for all families to keep them together. Doing so will result in healthy families and healthy communities.

Key Learnings:

1. People across the socioeconomic spectrum bond with pets. One's financial means are not a predictor of the strength of the human-animal bond.

2. Where we find humans struggling to make ends meet, we also find companion animals struggling. As a humane industry, we should not expect that it is possible to help animals without also assisting people.

3. People of Color are disproportionately among those with low socioeconomic status, consequently more likely to struggle to access human and veterinary healthcare.