Assistance for Pet Owners

Whole Families Program

People for Animals believes that Pets are Family! Our Whole Families Program seeks to keep whole families together by solving social challenges that threaten the unity of low-income, animal-inclusive families.  The WFP will provide: free social services assistance, affordable preventative veterinary care for pets, and long term planning to ensure the continuing health and happiness of the whole family.

To qualify for enrollment in WFP, families:

1. Must include at least one pet (dog or cat) to which your family is bonded and considers as a family member.
2. Must be confronting a specific human social challenge, including: domestic violence, homelessness, disability, unemployment, medical or mental health issues requiring hospitalization, etc.
3. Must either be receiving benefits from – or qualify for – at least one public assistance program which requires income qualification, including:

• • NJ Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or the NJ Supplementary Food Stamp Program
  • Supplemental Security Income Program
  • WIC special supplemental food program for women, infants and children
  • Work First New Jersey program
  • Medicaid
  • Senior Gold Prescription Discount Program
  • Section 8 rental assistance
  • Lifeline Credit Program
  • Tenants’ Lifeline Assistance Program
  • LIHEAP the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program
  • Other means-tested benefits

Benefits of enrollment:

1. Personalized social services networking assistance and ongoing support, budget instruction, etc.
2. Short-term foster care or boarding (only for pets) while their pet parent is residing in a shelter or treatment program that does not include animals.
3. Fifty-percent discounted preventative care at PFA, including:
   • Routine office visit fees
   • Vaccinations
   • Microchips
   • Routine 4Dx or Triple test annually
   • Fecal tests
   • Dewormer
   • Flea/tick preventatives
   • Heartworm preventatives

If you feel like your situation qualifies for assistance from PFA and would like to speak to our staff Social Worker, please contact Lori McGahan, Director of the Whole Families Program, MSW, LCSW:

Contact Lori