Does fido have a foot in the door? Social housing companion animal policies and policy decision-making in a Canadian city

ABSTRACT

Living with a companion animal (CA or “pet”) often has a positive impact on quality of life and well-being. Research also highlights potential benefits of CA relationships for populations accessing social housing, which commonly includes individuals with a low income, disabilities, those at risk of homelessness, and seniors. However, it appears that CA policies in social housing organizations can present a barrier to accessing housing that allows tenants to live with CAs. There is a significant shortfall in the literature specific to CA policies in social housing. Our aim is to describe CA policies in one jurisdiction, Edmonton, Canada, and to examine decision-making processes and the sources of information used to inform those decisions within social housing organizations. We found that half of the social housing organizations do not allow cats or dogs. The organizations in our study appear to prioritize four factors when making decisions about CA policies: 1) the organization’s mission and vision; 2) the population served; 3) financial or resource constraints; and 4) the experiences and beliefs of individuals within the organization. Priority research questions are identified to address the need for evidence-informed decision making in the complex area of social housing and quality of life.

KEYWORDS:

• Companion animal
• pets
• social housing
• affordable housing
• policies
• policy-making

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Cary A. Brown

Erin McCabe MScPT, PhD (Cand.) is a doctoral student in the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine at the University of Alberta. Her research interests include the psychosocial aspects of healthcare and health measurement. She works as a physiotherapist.

Dr. Cary A. Brown is a PhD and Professor, Department of Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Alberta. Her research program involves human/animal bond; sleep; chronic pain; and knowledge translation. She has worked as an occupational therapist and academic in Canada, Saudi Arabia, and the United Kingdom.

Maria C. Tan, BScOT, MSc, MLIS, is an information specialist with extensive searching experience, and a background in health promotion and occupational therapy.

Dr. Douglas P. Gross is a PhD and Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy at the University of Alberta. He studies the prevention of disability in people with physical and mental health disorders. This includes investigating the effectiveness of clinical and public health interventions, the validity of clinical decision support and other assessment tools, as well as factors associated with disability.

Dr. Donna M. Wilson, RN, PhD is a Professor in the Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta. She also has adjunct appointments with the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta and Faculty of Education and Health Sciences, University of Limerick, Ireland. Her program of research focuses on health care and health policy, primarily in relation to aging, ageism, and end-of-life care.

Dr. Eloise Carr, RN, PhD is a Professor in Nursing in the Faculty of Nursing and an Adjunct Research Professor in the Cummings School of Medicine at the University of Calgary. Her research program focuses on collaborative practice to improve pain management, with core themes of health professionals’ education, knowledge translation, and patient engagement. More recently, she has developed a new program of research around Human Animal Pain Interactions for people with chronic pain who live with a dog.

Dr. Jean E. Wallace, PhD is a Professor of Sociology and Adjunct Professor of Medicine at the University of Calgary. Her research focuses on stress and mental health and the different coping strategies people use. She is particularly interested in how dogs can play a vital supportive role for people suffering from chronic pain or living alone.

Dr. Maxi Miciak, BPE, BScPT, PhD is an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine at the University of Alberta and Principal of Maxi Miciak Consulting. Her research interests probe the factors that influence provision of patient-centered care, in particular, the therapeutic relationship between clinicians and patients. Maxi also works to advance the nascent area of research impact assessment, collaborating with local, national, and international health system stakeholders to co-develop and implement frameworks to assess research impact on informed decision-making in policy and practice.