By Yvonne Hong, Founder & CEO, Pets Of The Homeless
When I first started Pets Of The Homeless ten years ago with a suitcase of pet food and a mission to help keep best friends together, I never imagined how many women we would end up helping—women facing crisis, who, in their darkest moments, just wanted to keep their beloved pets safe.
As someone who has always understood the deep bond between people and their animals, I knew this charity had to be about more than just pet food or veterinary bills. It had to be about preserving hope, dignity, and the unconditional love that pets give us, even when the rest of the world feels like it’s falling apart.
Today, I’m so proud to say we’ve helped over 3,000 pets access veterinary care and safe shelter. We’ve provided more than 2 million pet meals to prevent people having to make the choice between feeding their pet or feeding themselves, and we’ve given animals 36,510 days of safe shelter while their humans got the help they needed. But behind every one of those numbers is a story—a woman, a family, a loyal companion, and a chance at a fresh start.
That’s why receiving the $5,000 EIR Community Grant means so much to us.
The majority of people we help at Pets Of The Homeless are women. Many are escaping family violence, dealing with sudden homelessness, or recovering from a personal crisis.
According to the ABS 2021 Census, of Australian people experiencing homelessness, over 1 in 5 are women aged 35 and over.
We know from countless studies—and from what women tell us directly—that a pet can be the reason someone stays in a violent home, or the reason they’re sleeping in a car rather than a crisis shelter. When refuges don’t allow pets, women are forced to make impossible choices. And in some heartbreaking cases, they face the heartbreaking reality of having to surrender or euthanise their pet.
That’s where we come in.
Our Safe Shelter program places pets in loving foster homes for up to 12 weeks, giving women time and space to access support, find secure housing, and begin to rebuild. We match every animal with a carefully selected carer, provide all essential supplies, and ensure the pet receives any needed medical care. When the time comes, we reunite pets with their owners—and it’s always a beautiful moment to witness.
In just the last six months:
73% of the people we supported were women
47% were experiencing or at risk of homelessness
34% were escaping or at risk of family violence
Of the women we helped, 71% were aged 35 and over
These are women who just need a little support to get through a difficult chapter—and that’s exactly what this grant from EIR will help us provide.
With EIR’s generous $5,000 grant, Pets Of The Homeless will be able to break down three key barriers that stop women from accessing our Safe Shelter program:
We’ll waive the $50 Safe Shelter fee, so cost is never a reason a woman can’t access support for her pet.
We’ll provide Foster Care Packs worth $100, filled with food, bedding, parasite protection and everything else a pet needs to settle safely into a foster home.
We’ll cover vaccination costs of $100 per pet, ensuring every animal is protected and eligible to enter foster care.
These aren’t just numbers—they are lifelines. They are peace of mind for women in crisis. They are wagging tails and quiet purrs in safe homes. They are reunions filled with tears of relief and gratitude.
Our small but mighty team at Pets Of The Homeless is made up of six incredible women, and we’re backed by an equally inspiring network of predominantly female volunteers—from foster carers and pet couriers to food packers and community advocates. It’s women supporting women, each doing their part to keep families together—because we believe that pets are family.
It takes courage to leave a violent home. It takes strength to face homelessness. And it takes compassion to help someone do that without having to let go of the one thing they love most.
Thanks to EIR, we’ll be able to show more women that they’re not alone—that help is here, and hope is real.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you.
To find out more, visit our website.
