Michelle McLeod is taking her little dog Minnie for a walk on an Oxnard street. McLeod considers Minnie, who is training to become a therapy dog, her little miracle. Her companion in life.
But, she’s grateful for another miracle. It’s a new program that helps Ventura County veterans who have pets have a roof over their heads, instead of being homeless.
"The new program is called Vets With Pets. What we discovered is the number one reason that veterans are not accepting housing and exiting homelessness is something that's solvable, and simple: The presence of a pet, a four-legged friend. Property owners and apartment owners, they almost always decline providing the veteran housing," said Bob Harris, Executive Director of the Gold Coast Veterans Foundation. Gold Coast is a Ventura County-based nonprofit focused on helping veterans in need.
"We have 330 homeless vets in our care. One hundred seventy-five of them declined housing specifically citing an issue with a pet deposit they were unable to pay," said Harris. "Most have dogs, but some people have cats and some rabbits. It really fills an emotional void and it's the reason you cannot separate the veteran from the pet. The pet is their best buddy. It's the way they survived on the streets."
Harris added what’s most heartbreaking is that they’ve had cases where they found an apartment for a homeless veteran and he or she shows up with their pet and they’ve been told they have to make a choice: The apartment or the pet. So, Gold Coast created Vets With Pets.
"The charity will accept funds for the Vets With Pets fund account and direct those funds to the veterans security deposit," said Harris. "And we will, as an organization, guarantee that any and all repairs that need to be made will be made. We're very sensitive to what apartment owners and landlords need and what they fear. One of the things is that the property could be damaged in some fashion that will cost them money."
Gold Cost helps with a security deposit or a guarantee to cover any pet-related damage.
For McLeod, the program has kept her and her dog Minnie together. She was in the Navy in the 1980s but said she was forced out because of sexual harassment before the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Policy.” She said it left her traumatized and living with a form of PTSD.
"So Minnie is really helping me with the anxiety and depression which comes with PTSD," said McLeod.
The Gold Coast Program and the Salvation Army helped her get a studio apartment in Oxnard.
"I'm very impressed. Everything is brand new—nice floors, nice cabinets, the bathroom is very nice," said McLeod.
She said having Minnie, who is a Chihuahua-Pug mix, is literally a lifesaver.
"She can pick up when I am anxious or really depressed. I'm holding her now. I honestly was not in a good place. I was in a very, very dark place before Minnie."
Bob Harris said they understand concerns of some landlords about pets. But with financial guarantees, they feel many will be willing to work with them to help get veterans and their pets housing.
He added the new Vets With Pets fund will also help with emergency medical care for pets.
