Michelle Southern OBE, Founder and Chief Executive of Street Paws, on why pet inclusive housing will be key in turning the Government's ambitions of ending rough sleeping into action. As with all articles in our Breaking the Cycle series, the views expressed by the author are their own.
The newly announced The National Policy Planning Framework sets out a clear ambition: to ensure that everyone sleeping rough has a safe place to stay.
This commitment echoes the National Plan to End Homelessness, which promises to remove barriers that prevent people from accessing accommodation.
For Street Paws, and for the people we support, one barrier stands out above all others — the lack of pet‑inclusive housing. If Government is serious about ending rough sleeping, people and their pets must be able to come inside together.
What Street Paws Does
Street Paws is a national charity supporting people experiencing homelessness who have companion animals. We provide veterinary care, welfare support, crisis pet‑care pathways, and specialist tools that help accommodation providers safely welcome pets. Our work is grounded in lived experience: every day we meet people who tell us their pet is their only source of stability, protection and emotional connection. This expertise places us in a unique position to speak to the changes needed to ensure the National Plan to End Homelessness delivers for everyone.
How Government Can Deliver on Its Commitments
The National Plan to End Homelessness can only succeed if it recognises that many people sleeping rough have pets and cannot access accommodation that excludes them. Government can turn ambition into action by:
- Embedding pet‑inclusive expectations within all homelessness commissioning frameworks
- Issuing national guidance to ensure pets are not unreasonably refused where risk assessments show inclusion is safe
- Supporting local authorities and providers with training, welfare tools and crisis pet‑care pathways
- Recognising companion animals within prevention duties, ensuring people are not forced to choose between their pet and a bed
- Investing in specialist support, such as the Street Paws Pet Champion Scheme, to make pet‑inclusive delivery safe, consistent and scalable
These changes are achievable. Regions that have embraced pet‑inclusive practice have already seen reductions in rough sleeping, improved engagement and stronger tenancy sustainment.
What Needs to Change
The current system unintentionally excludes people with pets. Many accommodation providers operate blanket “no pets” policies, not because they want to, but because they lack the tools, confidence or support to safely include animals. This results in:
- people refusing accommodation
- increased rough sleeping
- higher safeguarding risk
- reduced engagement with support plans
- pressure on crisis and outreach services
One man told us recently:
“I want to come inside. I just can’t leave my dog behind. He’s all I’ve got.”
This is not an isolated story. Our data shows that when pet‑inclusive options are available, people are significantly more likely to accept accommodation and sustain tenancies. Excluding pets excludes people — and undermines the very goals the both the National Plan to End Homelessness and the National Policy Planning Framework aim to achieve.
What Ministers need to do next
To deliver on the promise of these plans, Government must:
- Embed pet‑inclusive practice across all homelessness pathways
- Publish national guidance supporting safe pet inclusion
- Fund crisis pet‑care options for people entering rehab, detox or hospital
- Equip providers with training, welfare tools and risk‑assessment frameworks
- Recognise pets as part of people’s support networks, not barriers to them
No one should be left outside because of the animal who keeps them going. If the national housing plan is to reach everyone, it must include people and their pets — together.
Street Paws stands ready to support Government, local authorities and providers to make this ambition a reality.
Article written by Michelle Southern OBE, Founder and Chief Executive of Street Paws. You can visit Street Paws website to find out more about their work.
Homeless Link also has also produced guidance on delivering pet inclusive services.
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