Pet food manufacturer Purina has increased its support for UK charity Streetvet.
StreetVet supports people and their pets experiencing homelessness across Britain, providing veterinary care and services to those otherwise unable to access them. Purina has announced that StreetVet’s clients will be benefiting from therapeutic and maintenance petfood provided free of charge during 2024, as well as additional funding for new projects. The charity has already received £70,000 of funding with the Purina Better with Pets prize in 2021 and again in 2023.
Demand for Streetvet’s services has soared by more than 300% in recent years, according to co-founder Jade Statt. Speaking in a recent podcast discussion with Purina Petcare’s veterinary scientific affairs manager, Statt said: “What many people forget is that those experiencing homelessness have often owned the pet prior to becoming homeless and the pet is a link to a happier time in their lives.
“By keeping their pet, they often cannot get access to hostel accommodation, as less than 10% accept pets and rejecting a hostel place on this basis often means they are considered to be ‘voluntarily or intentionally homeless’.
“In turn that means they often can’t access healthcare, benefits, or other programmes available in the hostel environment.”
