We know the human-animal bond is powerful, period. Whether or not there’s a signed letter to prove it, Emotional Support Animals (ESAs) are lifelines for their people. But some landlords refuse to respect state and federal protections for support animals and instead threaten to push tenants and animals like Minnie out of their homes. At this week’s All Call, HEART LA’s Zaira Bernal (Paralegal) and Diana Cruz (Program Director/Law Clerk) remind us that when we act in community, we can speak truth to power and meaningfully push back—keeping more pets out of shelters and affirming the rights of those of us with mental, emotional, or physical disabilities.
There are many ways to start!
- Identify opportunities for intervention in your community. First, understand who housing providers are, from individual landlords to corporations, and the role they play in our housing ecosystem. Diana and Zaira shared that according to HEART LA data focused within Los Angeles County, individual landlords account for nearly 40 percent of eviction threats. Collect and review intake data so that you can pinpoint how many animals enter your shelter due to housing challenges. Share All Calls Part 1 and Part 2 with colleagues at your shelter, and take the free Keeping Tenants and Their Pets Together training at Maddie’s University together.
- Create a local network of people who can write ESA letters—that might even include you! When one All Caller expressed interest in providing letters and had questions about potential liability, Diana and Zaira reminded us that letter writers are simply “reliable third parties” who aren’t vouching for the animal. Instead, they’re attesting that the pet guardian has a disability and that their animal is relieving an associated symptom or symptoms.
- Share what you’ve learned. Get familiar with the common tactics property owners use to intimidate tenants—Diana and Zaira shared six, including making false allegations and piling on unnecessary paperwork—and how to respond. “An educated tenant is a stronger tenant,” Zaira pointed out. When shelter staff has the information they need to support and reassure tenants who feel they have no choice but to give up their pets, a better outcome is possible for everyone. Make HEART LA resources available to staff and community members, or create your own flyers to share.
- Build relationships to build power. Start a conversation, and listen. Invite partners, staff or volunteers from community organizations, and people with lived experience of this issue to share how it shows up in your community and develop solutions together. Community leaders, pet guardians, and advocates in LA worked together to secure a huge win: COVID-era eviction protections for people who adopted pets through January 2023 are now permanent.
- Work alongside partners to hold agencies accountable. Ask how you can apply collective pressure to make sure agencies responsible for enforcing tenant rights and support animal protections are fulfilling their duties, including the California Civil Rights Department, local housing departments, and our elected officials.
- Email cal4allcall@californiaforallanimals.com to request a one-on-one deep dive session with Zaira and Diana. They’ll answer your questions and help you make a plan!
Watch this week’s presentation and discussion to discover how often “unauthorized” pets are cited as justifications for eviction, whether a support animal must be spayed or neutered, how to balance asserting ESA protections with the very real fear of losing one’s home or pet, and more.
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